Pokémon heroes episode 1 a new world
by Ace 5niper 117
Summary: It's been a year after the shepherds defeated the fell dragon, and Soren has been troubled by the mark on the back of his hand. Suddenly, him and his friends end up in the world inhabited by Pokémon. Now he has to deal with Team Rockets evil plots as they create the most powerful Pokémon ever. Retelling of Ash's journey. Gen 1
1. Prologue

**hello. This Ace 5niper 117 with a new story for you. This is actually the sequal to the fire emblem story I made. This...is Pokémon heroes.**

**so, sit back and enjoy. I might do some polls as this goes on. **

**Yes, I might've put this prologue on before, but I had to do this. **

Prologue

Giovanni sat at his desk, looking over the files of his latest project when his office phone beeped.

"Giovanni sir, there is someone wanting to talk to you in private. He says his urgent." His assistant said through the speaker.

"Did he say who he was?" The man questioned, irritated with the time he's wasted over one project.

"He didn't want to say, but he did mention something about a darkness rising."

The blood drained from his face. Only one person would say that. And he wasn't even a person.

"Tell him I'm ready then. Make sure no one disturbs me." He said into the phone and closed the shade across his office as a small cylinder rose from the ground in front of him.

A long, dark crystal rose from the cylinder and began to glow with a dark purple color as a figure emerged in front of Giovanni.

The figure was completely covered in a dark purple coating, but Giovanni knew his master's true identity.

"Master. It's been a long time since I last heard from you." He stammered. "Was your mission successful?"

"I'm not here to talk about my mission, Giovanni." The figure growled. "I am here to discuss something...troubling."

This confused him. Nothing troubled his master unless it was something he never knew. "What do you mean, my lord?"

"Have you received word from...Validar...by any chance?" The figure questioned.

Validar? What's that failure done this time? Giovanni wondered and shook his head. "No master. We haven't heard from him since his failed attempt to get the...fire emblem or whatever those Ylissians called that thing."

The figure nodded. "Well, I'll have to inform you that Validar failed on making the Ylissians pay for their treachery."

"Makes sense. That man never thought anything through." Giovanni sneered.

The figure nodded once more. "Perhaps...but this time...something was misplaced."

This was getting more confusing. "How do you mean?"

"Well, let's just say that someone from the future succeeded at coming back and defeating Grima with that blasted father of hers."

"Chrom. I've heard about that man. As far as I know, he's the leader of some band of misfits who went around, trying to protect that pathetic kingdom of theirs."

His master agreed. "Yes. But I'm not focused on him. I'm focused on the young man that helped him."

A holographic dark cloud emerged in between the two and a image showed a young man with Chrom's daughter, looking over the cliff where the fell dragon lay.

At first, the boy meant nothing'...until he saw the mark on his hand. It was seventeen long rectangles circling around an oddly shaped pattern.

"That's...the mark of Arceus! That means-"

"Yes. He's the Arcean boy." The figure growled as the cloud dissipated. "The survivor of the purging of his village."

"B-but how? He was supposed to be dead! No one..." Than the thought came to him.

"Yes...Byron. That old weakling took him in and trained him to work as one of those...Shepherds. Guiding him to his "destiny". He must be stopped!"

"How? As far as we know, there's nothing but peace in Ylisse."

The figure laughed sinisterly. "I have a plan for that. In the meantime, you work on that project. It'll put on a show for our guest." He cackled and disappeared, leaving Giovanni to ponder over the information he was just given.

"Mister Giovanni? Is everything alright?" His assistant asked through his phone again.

"Yes. I'm fine, but I want you to tell those lazy scientists to get working on that project. On the double."

"Yes sir. Is that all?"

He thought for a moment, then pressed the button. "Yes. That is all."

When the phone line went dead, Giovanni sat back in his chair and scratched his beloved pet Persian as he thought about what his master had told him.

To think...that the Arcean actually survived.

He won't after my little project is finished with him. That's a fact. He chuckled to himself.

Master was right. These worlds will live in fear and chaos. Soon.

Meanwhile, somewhere else in the Kanto region, a scientist was just about to get off the phone with Giovanni's assistant.

"He wants the project done now? Okay...tell him I'll get it done." He said and hung up.

"What'd the boss want?" A scientist behind him asked.

He turned to his partner. "He wants the project done. Says there's someone he wants to introduce it to."

"Alright. Let's get to it." He said, rubbing his hands together to start working.

Behind them, a cylinder tube lit up, revealing a creature attached to tubes. A name appeared on one of the monitors: Mewtwo.

**alright. We seem to be off to a good start. **

**This might turn out well. So please review. **


	2. Chapter 1

**hey guys. This is Ace with a new chapter for ya. **

**Note: if you're a Pokémon fan and are unfamiliar with the mentioned characters (besides Oak), they're from Fire emblem awakening. Just to point that out. **

**Anyway, enjoy. **

Chapter 1

(Meanwhile back in a familiar world of Ylisse)

(Soren)

I stood at the balcony of my castle bedroom, looking over the place I called home.

It's been a year since the fell dragon was killed. And since then, things have actually gotten better. No brigands causing problems, no Grima loving assassins, not even a single trace of a Valmese soldier wanting to control us.

So why do I feel so troubled? I asked myself and glanced at the mark on the back of my hand.

"What does this mark mean?" I asked.

What was Byron not telling me?

"You're still up here?" A familiar voice said behind me.

I wheeled around, and there stood Lucina, my best friend.

"Yeah...I'm just...thinking." I said and glanced back to the city.

She smiled. "You've been doing that since the day we found Mom."

I chuckled. "Yeah. And things have gotten better."

She laughed and hugged me from behind. "You can stop worrying now."

"I'm not worried, it's just...I'm confused." I said and shoed her the symbol on my hand. "Just last night it started glowing, and I don't understand why."

She observed it and shrugged. "It's never done that?"

I shook my head. "No. This is actually the first time in...forever."

She nodded and looked at the mark some more. "What does it mean?"

I shrugged. "Byron told me it was something different...it wasn't Ylissean, Plegian, not even Valm would have this."

She looked at me with confusion, then let my hand drop to my side.

"I just feel...like Byron hid something from me. And wanted to tell me before he died." I said.

For a second, we were silent, but then Lucina patted me on the shoulder. "You know what? Why don't we just...go for a walk?"

I looked at her. "A walk?"

"Yeah. You never had to clear your mind by taking a walk?"

I shrugged. "Never...had to."

She scoffed. "Then let's go. I'll tell Morgan and Coryn."

"They don't have to come." I laughed and grabbed my gauntlets and magical baton.

"Well, it's always good just to go on a stroll with family, right?" She said and ran to Morgan and Coryn's room.

Good point. I thought and followed.

"Okay, so explain to me why we're just walking." Robin said as we walked out of the castle gates.

"Well...I just thought it would...you know, brighten up our spirits?" Lucina suggested.

"Uh, Lucina, we're already lightened up." Chrom said.

"Well, Soren's been troubled for a bit. Okay?" She laughed.

I smiled and shook my head. She had to get the others.

"Wait, what are you troubled about?" Nowi asked me.

I showed her the mark. "I'm just thinking about what Byron could have told me before he was killed."

She looked down sadly and nodded. "Yeah. There's a lot of stuff he wanted to tell us. I'm sure of it."

I smiled and ruffled her hair. Leave it to Nowi to be the optimist.

Suddenly, I heard a noise. It almost sounded like a splash when you're underwater. Like ripples.

"Soren?" Morgan asked.

I held a finger up to indicate that I heard something, and walked closer to the noise.

Then, out of nowhere, the air rippled right in front of me.

I stepped back. "What was that?"

I was just about to reach my hand forward when the mark immediately started glowing brighter than ever.

"Soren, get away from that!" Chrom yelled and drew his sword.

Before I could move, the air opened into a giant hole and pulled me in.

"Soren!" Lucina screamed and reached to pull me out, but missed.

I desperately grabbed the air as I fell deeper into the portal.

As I fell, I started seeing lights fly around me in different colors, then shot into my hand, where the seventeen squares started glowing around the ring.

"What is this?" I asked when I suddenly found myself flying out of the hole, rolling in the grass until my head smacked something hard.

My vision became blurry, but I heard Lucina yell my name before blacking out.

"How goes the project?" A voice asked.

"Very slow, sir. The DNA of the Pokémon mew is slow to process-"

"Then get it done!" It yelled.

I tried to call out, but my voice didn't work.

That's it. It's just a dream...or I'm dead.

DNA? Mew? What are these voices talking about? Was my last thought before opening my eyes.

As my vision cleared, I saw Lucina's worried face hovering over me.

"Soren?" She asked.

I smiled, but the winced with the pain in my head and tried to sit up.

"Wait, you hit your head. You should take it easy." She said and gently pushed me down on the bed.

"Where are we?" I asked and rubbed my head.

"Uh...well...I'm not really sure." She admitted when the door closed behind her, and an middle aged man walked up from behind her.

"Well, young man, are you feeling better?" He asked.

Before I could answer I noticed the clothes. He had a white thin cloak, a red shirt and brown pants.

"Uh...are we in Valm or something?" I asked.

Lucina laughed. "No...we're not in Valm. We're in some place called-"

"Pallet town. You're in Pallet town in the Kanto region." The man said. "My name is Professor Samual Oak."

Me and Lucina exchanged glances.

"So...I call you...professor?" I asked.

He laughed and shook his head. "No, no. You can call me Oak, Professor Oak, or Sam if you'd like."

"Okay, well I'll call you...the second one you said."

He chuckled and offered a handshake. "I take it your names Soren. Correct?"

I nodded. "Yeah. That's me." I said and shook it.

He smiled and let go.

"So...where's Kanto?" I asked as Lucina helped me sit up. "Is that between-"

"I hate to tell you, but you're no longer in your world. You're now on Pokéarth." He said.

"Pokéarth?" I wondered and looked at Lucina.

She shrugged. "It was hard to take in for me too."

Wait, if she's here..."Where are the others?" I demanded.

"Calm down. You'll only strain yourself." The professor assured me. "Your friends are fine. They're in the other room."

I sighed. At least I know they're okay.

"You've been out for a few hours, Soren...so you should still get some rest. You've been through a lot, but I'll explain everything in the morning." Oak said. "You'll need a change of clothes though. No one on Pokéarth wears Ylissean clothes."

I glanced at my jacket and sighed. There were a whole bunch of holes on the cloak. Probably from rolling in the grass. "Do you have any idea how long it took me to get this cloak?" I grumbled and slipped it off.

The professor chuckled. "I'm sure it meant a lot. I'll see if I can find something tomorrow morning."

I nodded angrily. "Alright."

He stood up and walked over to the door. "You'll understand your situation once I explain." He said and left.

I sighed. "Great. One minute we're taking a walk, the next minute we end up in...Pokéarth." I grumbled and winced, holding my head.

Lucina pushed me back down on the bed. "You've got to stop pushing yourself. Look, I'm not sure what, or why that happened, but I'm not letting anything happen to you."

"You always have since that time I nearly got crushed by that pillar." I laughed.

She smiled as she laid down next to me. "Hey, we've been through worse, right?"

I nodded. "Yeah...that's true."

I waited for her to answer, but she was already asleep on my arm.

Quick sleeper. I thought and stared at the ceiling.

As I tried to fall asleep, I couldn't get over the fact that we weren't home anymore. We're now in some new...world.

"Looks like I'll have to wait till tomorrow." I said and fell asleep.

If it has something to do with my mark, than I hope this world has some answers.

**well. Soren just had a crazy day, right? Meeting Oak and ending up in Pokéarth? I'd be worried. **

**But...maybe it's got something to do with that mark on his hand. We'll find out. **


	3. Chapter 2

**hey, what's up everybody? How's it going? I am now giving you chapter 2. (Sorry, I'm afraid I cannot think of a title for the chapter. Please understand.)**

**anyway, I hope u like it. **

Chapter 2

(Soren)

The next morning, I was immediately woken up by something falling on my stomach.

I snapped awake, accidentally freaking Lucina out as she drew her sword in a flash.

"Wow, wow! Take it easy! It's just me." Oak laughed and threw a bundle of clothes next to Lucina. "Man, I've never seen anyone on edge like you guys."

I rubbed my head as Lucina sheathed her sword. "Yeah, well...we're nervous and all."

He chuckled. "I'd bet." He said and pointed to the bundle on my stomach. "Got you guys some clothes. Hope you like them."

I looked at the clothes as the professor started to leave.

"Wait...I'm sorry for last night." I said as I started to get up.

He shrugged. "Don't worry about it. You should've seen Byron when he saw this world."

Wait...he knew Byron?

Before I could ask, he closed the door, leaving us with our new clothing.

"So...this is what they wear?" Lucina asked, holding up a pair of blue pants.

"They must more advanced than Valm." I guessed and picked up the jacket. It was black, and felt like leather, just softer.

"Yeah, but we're not...how does he know about Byron?" She asked.

I shrugged. "Did he already seemed to know about Ylisse. What did he say about that?"

"He just found us trying to wake you up, observed our clothing and said "well, it's been awhile since I've seen some Ylisseans." It totally through us off."

I'd bet. I thought and looked at the plain black shirt.

"Well, if were going to be here for awhile, I guess it's best just to try and fit in." I said and ran to change my clothes.

The clothes actually turned out more comfortable than I thought. And they even went well with the way I used to dressed. It's like I'm dressing like a Pokéarth tactician.

I wonder if the others are wearing the same clothing. I thought.

Before I left, I made sure I slipped the baton in the pants pocket, along with slipping on the gauntlets.

Something looked different on the gloves though. On the gloves wrists, there was some small circle like thing sitting on it.

I don't remember seeing this. I thought.

I shook my head. I'll deal with it later.

Once I walked back in the room, I was surprised to see that Lucina had already changed.

She was wearing the same kind of clothes as me, but what really suited her was the sword by her side.

"Wow...you look...nice." I said in awe.

She smiled. "Thanks. You look pretty good too. Especially with the gloves."

I laughed. "Yeah, they do seem to go well with the jacket."

She smiled even more when the door suddenly burst open, and Nowi ran in.

"Soren! You're okay!" She said and tackled me in a hug.

"Yeah, I'm alright. Still got my head attached, right?" I said.

She laughed. "Well, you do have some weird wrapping on your head."

I what? I checked the sides of my head and realized that see that she was right. I immediately started puling it off when Chrom and the others came in.

"Well, good to see you awake." Chrom laughed and patted on my back.

"And you seem to look good in that attire." Oak said as he walked in. "All of you do."

Oak was actually right. Even though Chrom, Robin, Morgan and Coryn were wearing the same clothes as me and Lucina, they actually seem to fit in.

Nowi was wearing a green colored shirt and pants, but it actually fitted her personality.

"Okay, so the clothes seem to work with you...but there is one problem: you don't really need your swords. There hasn't been a war here for...almost a thousand years."

I looked at him in confusion. "What do you mean?"

He shrugged. "We've been living in peace with Pokémon for as long as the time of Sir Aaron. Since his sacrifice, we've lived in peace in harmony."

"Wait, Pokémon?" I asked.

He chuckled. "Come on. I'll show ya." He said and left the room with us following.

We followed him through his house and through the back rectangular hole (which happened to be a glass door. I only found out by actually running into it).

"Looks like there's a lot of stuff you'll need to get used to." Oak laughed, then held his tongue to whistle.

We waited for a few seconds before the whole yard became crowded with so many different creatures. There were white horses with a flaming mane, lizards with the tip of their tail on fire, a blue turtle, some small brown foxes, and a little green...frog with a bud of a plant on his back.

""What...are these things?" I asked.

"They're Pokémon." Oak explained as a small brown fox ran up to him. "They're wonderful creatures that seem to inhabit the entire world. It's not just in fields like my backyard that you find them, but they're also in cities, forests, the sky's, the waters...everywhere."

"So...what do they do?" Chrom asked.

"Excellent question. I'll demonstrate." The professor said and called for the little lizard. "Charmander, do you mind showing us your ember?"

The lizard nodded and blew a wind of small flames out of his mouth, scorching a little bit of the grass.

I stepped back in surprise. "So...that one's basically...a dragon?"

"What? No. Charmander's a fire type."

I stared at him. "Charmander?"

He pointed towards my right gauntlet. "Just press that button on your glove. It'll tell you."

Cautiously, I lifted my right arm and attempted to hit the circular object when I realized that it was blinking.

"Go ahead. It'll do that once you've encountered a new Pokémon." Oak assured me.

I looked at him, then the blinking circle and pressed it.

Suddenly, a clear, floating picture of the lizard appeared.

I was just about to ask what this was when a voice started speaking from the picture.

"Charmander, the Lizard Pokémon. The flame on its tail indicates Charmander's life force. If it's healthy, the flame burns brightly. Charmander is a fire type. Gender: male. Current moves: Scratch, Ember, and Growl." It said.

"Fire type?" Robin asked.

"Moves?" Lucina wondered.

"I'm pretty much at a loss here." I muttered.

Oak chuckled. "I'll explain. You see, types are actually important part of the Pokémon. They're part of their culture and their moves, like the three listed."

"So, it's like weaponry?" I asked.

The professor shrugged. "In a way, yes. They can be. I'll give an example. Since Charmander's a fire type, it's strong against grass types, but weak against Water types."

"So, it's like the sword is stronger than the axe, the axe is stronger against the lance, and the lance is stronger than the sword." Robin suggested.

"Nailed it." Oak said. "You're starting to get it."

"So, Pokémon are...certain types are weaker than others?" Coryn wondered.

"Or stronger?" Morgan asked.

Oak nodded. "Yep."

This might make my head explode. "How many types are there, exactly?" I asked.

"Eighteen." Oak said, shrugging. "Not exactly sure. There could be more."

I whistled. Eighteen types? That's a lot.

"Now, if you're wondering how the moves work, I'll explain." Oak suggested.

Me and the others exchanged glances, then nodded.

"Okay, then. Pokémon moves (or sometimes known as attacks) are skills that Pokémon use in battles."

"Battles? I thought there-"

"That's not what I mean, Chrom. In battles, I mean like competition. There's a thing called Pokémon training, where you travel the world, catch numerous Pokémon, and battle in gyms, leagues, or even just in the field." Oak explained. "What happens is two trainers go against each other with their Pokémon. Whoever knocks out the other trainers Pokémon wins."

Chrom shrugged. "Alright, that makes sense."

"I'll show you how it works." Oak said and pointed towards me. "Soren, why don't you battle me? You can use Charmander."

I glanced at Lucina, then shrugged. "Okay. I'll...try it."

"Excellent. Now, you stand at this spot right here." He instructed as he pointed to the spot near the fence. Then he pointed towards the other side. "I'll stand at least fifteen feet away. That way you'll hear me as we battle. We can't have a battle where you don't know what's coming."

I nodded. "Alright." I said and stood at the spot. Oak ran a few feet away and stood there.

"Alright, now Charmander, do you mind working with Soren?" The professor asked.

The lizard next to me nodded and jumped right in front of me.

"Now, I'll go easy on you, so I'll use Bulbasaur!" He yelled and threw a small object in the air. The object snapped open, and a light flew out, landed in front of the professor, then dispersed, revealing another frog like thing with the bud on it's back.

I was about to ask what Pokémon that was when I noticed the button on my gauntlet was blinking again. I pressed it and the clear, floating picture emerged. This time the Bulbasaur was displayed instead of Charmander.

"Bulbasaur, the seed Pokémon. A strange seed was planted on its back at birth. The plant sprouts and grows with this Pokémon. This is a Grass and Poison type Pokémon. Gender: male. Current moves: Tackle, Growl, and Vine whip."

Okay, so now I know who I'm dealing with. I thought.

"Soren, I'll go first!" Oak called over.

I shrugged. "Go ahead."

"Alright then, Bulbasaur, use Vine whip!" Oak commanded.

I watched as a long green vine grew out from under the bud and whipped Charmander in the face.

"What the heck?" I asked.

"Well, you do have to tell your Pokémon to dodge." Oak chuckled. "But now it's your turn. Just tell Charmander to use a move. The screen beside "

I looked at the lizard, then glanced at the listed moves.

"Okay, Charmander...try Ember!" I commanded.

"Char!" The lizard yelled and blew another wind of hot embers at the Bulbasaur.

"Roll out of the way!" Oak yelled.

In an instant, Bulbasaur rolled over to the left, dodging the embers as it hit the ground next to it.

"Hey!" I yelled.

Oak shrugged. "I can't let you do all the dodging."

Good point. I thought.

"Alright, now Bulbasaur, use Tackle!"

Bulbasaur made a mad dash for Charmander, ready to ram into him.

"Dodge it, quick!" I yelled.

In a flash, Charmander jumped out of the way.

"Now, Scratch!" I commanded.

Charmander obeyed and scratched Bulbasaur in the side.

"Now you're getting it." Oak laughed.

I smiled. I could get used to this.

"Now, let's get this started. Bulbasaur, use Vine whip!"

"Quick! Dodge it and use Growl!"

Charmander leapt out of the way, baring his teeth at the green Pokémon.

The weird thing was...it didn't really do anything.

"Oh...whoops. I forgot to mention that there are three kinds of attacks. There's physical, where it's like punching someone. There's status, where it effects your Pokémon like poison or freezing. There is also Special, where it's like shooting an arrow. The screen next to the button."

Screen? I wondered and glanced at my gauntlet. There was a black rectangle beside the button, I pressed the button one more time just for an image of the attack I just used.

"Growl is I status move that lowers the attack of the opponents Pokémon." I read.

I nodded. Okay...so Growl doesn't really do anything.

"Okay, forget growl. But now use scratch!" I commanded.

Charmander obeyed and ran towards Bulbasaur.

"Dodge it!" Oak yelled.

"Quickly use Ember!" I said.

Just as Charmander missed the scratch, he immediately wheeled around and blasted another wind of embers on the green Pokémon.

"Not bad. You're getting good." Oak said.

I grinned. This is like Robins tactics.

As the battle progressed, I have to admit...I was really getting into this.

Might even be better than what I've had to go through. I thought.

"Okay, Charmander, now I want you to-"

Suddenly, a dust explosion erupted in the forest behind us.

"What was that?" I asked.

"That can't be good." Oak muttered and grabbed the object from his pocket. "Bulbasaur, return." He commanded.

A read beam of light emerged from the object and hit Bulbasaur's forehead, enveloping him in red and absorbing him into the object.

"I'll explain this later. Let's just see what that was." He said as he noticed my confusion.

I nodded, and we took off towards the ruckus.

**well...now we know how Oak knows the team. **

**There might've been too much talking, but hey, Soren and the others are clueless of this new world. **

**Anyway, hope u liked it. Please review. **


	4. Chapter 3

**hey, guys. This is Ace with a new chapter for ya. Hope you like it. **

Chapter 3

(Soren)

As we ran towards the forest, I could already tell that it was something big.

The only thing that threw me off was that the Charmander I used earlier was following me.

"Charmander? Why are you following me?" I asked.

It pointed towards the dust cloud.

"Looks like he wants to help." Oak said.

I looked at him, then Charmander.

"Okay. You can come." I sighed.

"We might want to hurry though. We're not sure wh-"

"HEEEELP!" A voice screamed from the forest.

"Wow, was that Nowi?" I asked.

"I don't think so. Come on!" Oak said, and we kept on running when I saw this huge pile of rocks moving.

"What is that?" I asked.

"Not sure. We'll have to get a better look. Or you can go on ahead." Oak suggested and stopped to catch his breath.

"You think you can keep going?"

He shook his head. "No...you keep going."

I nodded and ran towards the moving rocks with Charmander right behind me.

I was just about caught up when I realized that I just made a huge mistake.

The "pile of rocks" wasn't really a pile. It was a giant rock snake.

"What in the heck?" I asked and pressed the button when the snake tried to crush me with his tail.

Okay, obviously he's having a bad day. I thought as the image of the Pokémon appeared.

"Onix, the Rock snake Pokémon. Onix burrows at high speed in search of food. The tunnels it leaves are used as homes by Diglett. Onix is a Rock and Ground type Pokémon. Gender: male. Current moves: Tackle, Bind, and Rock throw."

Okay, so Onix is a rock type. I thought.

"Charmander, use Ember!" I commanded when I suddenly got rammed in the side.

This is just not my day. I thought and looked over my shoulder just to see a brown fox Pokémon rubbing it's head.

Well, for a small Pokémon, it's got quite a strong tackle. I thought and activated the picture.

"Eevee, the evolution Pokémon. Eevee is a rare Pokémon that adapts to harsh environments by taking on different evolutionary forms. Eevee is a normal type Pokémon. Gender: female. Current moves: Tackle, and Growl."

Well. At least I know what you are. I thought.

I just stood up when I suddenly heard a young, female voice behind me.

"Sorry about that." I said. "I didn't see you there."

I wheeled around and saw Eevee looking at me as it rubbed its head.

Did it just...talk?

Before I could ask, the Eevee pointed towards the Onix. "Look out!"

Despite the fact that it really was talking, I immediately wheeled around as my shield activating itself on my left arm as a bunch of rocks flew at me.

I take it that's rock throw. I thought.

"Okay, Charmander, use Ember!" I commanded.

Charmander obeyed and blew embers at the snake, but the attack didn't really do much.

The Onix just stared at me, like he was saying "did you really expect that to hurt?" Then roared at me when he suddenly got wrapped with vines.

"Soren, you alright?" Oak yelled.

"Yeah, I'm okay!" I yelled back.

"Alright then, we'll handle this. Bulbasaur, throw this Onix out of-"

"No wait! I've got this!" I said. "Charmander use scratch!"

"Char!" He replied and ran towards the snake scratching the same spot he blew the embers.

It didn't do much, but it was worth a try.

"Now, try ember again!" I commanded when the Eevee leapt beside the lizard.

"Eevee?" I asked.

"I want to help." She said.

Still dumbstruck with it being able to speak human language, I shook it off and focused on the Onix.

"Okay then Eevee, use your Tackle!"

She nodded and rammed into the side of the Onix while Charmander scorched a bit of another rock part of the body.

"Check the screen! It'll tell you the battle status!" Oak yelled.

Battle status? I wondered and glanced at my gauntlet. The screen was already on and showed three bars. To of them were green while the other was yellow.

The yellow must be Onix. I thought.

"Okay you two, use the same move again!" I yelled.

Both obeyed, except as Eevee ran toward the snake, the thing roared at the little fox Pokémon, scaring her and sending her hiding behind my legs.

Uh...that's new. I thought and looked at Charmander. He only shrugged and blew embers at the Onix.

Then I noticed the yellow bar shrinking until it was red. It did some damage, but not enough.

"Alright, now let me handle this." Oak said. "Poké ball, let's go!"

I didn't know what he meant, but then the Onix got enveloped in red and disappeared in another red and white sphere.

It landed on the ground and shook a few times before making a clicking sound.

I waited for Onix to come back out, but it didn't. The ball just sat there.

"Looks like I got Onix." Oak said, walking up and picking up the ball.

"What did you do?" I asked.

"I caught it. Once you catch a wild Pokémon, they're loyal to you." He explained.

"So...you brainwashed them?" I demanded.

He laughed and shook his head. "No, no. They still have they're personality, they're just...tamed."

That makes sense.

Oak slipped the ball in his pocket, then glanced behind my legs and groaned. "Eevee." He said.

Slowly, Eevee crept from behind my leg with her emars drooped. "Yes?"

"Did you anger the Onix?" The professor asked.

She rubbed the ground with her foot. "I...I did. I'm sorry professor."

Oak sighed and shook his head. "You little one. Always seeking adventures. You know you're still a bit timid right?"

She nodded and hung her head.

"Now I need answers here too. Do all Pokémon talk?" I asked.

Oak shook his head. "Not all of them. It's actually...pretty rare. This one hatched from an egg not too long ago and she's already able to speak. It's a rare ability."

"So I've noticed." I muttered, only to find out that Eevee was giggling.

Oak laughed as well. "Whelp, we should be getting inside. It's getting dark. And I need some rest for tomorrow."

Later that day, Oak was nice enough to cook us food for the night.

"Thanks a lot, professor." I said.

He just shrugged. "Happy to help."

"So...what was that thing you guys caught?" Lucina asked, laughing as Nowi just dug in.

"That was actually an Onix. Tough Pokémon, I'll tell you that. Hard to catch around here."

"So, where is it?" Morgan wondered.

"In the lab upstairs." Oak said pointing upwards with his fork, then glanced over to me. "You going to eat? You haven done much."

I sat there, staring at the food. "Yeah, I'm just...thinking."

"About what?" Chrom asked.

I shrugged. "I'm not exactly...sure. I guess after two battles today, I think I just...feel interested in this whole training business."

"Really?" Oak asked.

I nodded. "It's just...this is a whole new place for me. New culture, lifestyle, everything. If me and the others are going to survive, we need to learn what we're going against."

The professor smiled. "I figured you'd say that. Are you wanting to become a trainer?" He asked.

For a moment, I thought about it. Maybe becoming a trainer is the best path right now. It might even help me discover this mark on my hand.

I nodded. "I'll do it."

The others looked at me in surprise. Oak just smiled. "Alright then. Tomorrow morning I'll get you set up. And if you want I can have the pokédex image appear on the screen instead of the hologram."

I shrugged. "Sure."

I took the gauntlet off and gave it to him.

"Alright then. What Pokémon are you taking?" Oak asked as he started fiddling with the glove.

I scratched my chin. "Well, battling with Charmander was actually pretty neat. I'll take him along."

Oak looked up from what he was doing. "You think so, huh? Well...I'll have to be honest. After that confrontation you had with Onix, Charmander's actually enjoyed you're company."

He did, huh? I thought.

"Not only that, Eevee...actually wanted to go with you too." Oak admitted.

"Well then it's official. I'll go with both." I said.

Oak smiled and turned to the others. "What about you guys?"

Chrom and Robin shook their heads. "Is love to...it's just not my thing." Chrom said.

"Me neither." Robin agreed.

"We could help around the lab." Morgan suggested.

"That...that might work." Oak said and turned to Lucina. "What about you?"

Oak didn't even have to ask.

"I'll go with Soren, but I...I'm not sure if being a Pokémon trainer is my thing."

The professor nodded. "I understand. You'll set out tomorrow with three other trainers then."

I nodded and turned to Lucina. "Then let's do it."

Lucina smiled and nodded. "I'll help anyway I can."

"We all will." Chrom said.

I nodded.

"In the meantime, I'll get you guys a good home." Oak said.

"Aw...you don't have to." Robin said.

Oak just shrugged. "Hey, I can't have you guys sleeping here all the time."

Good point. I thought.

Looks like I'm going to be a Pokémon trainer.

(Meanwhile, at a nearby homestead.)

(Ash)

"Looks like Gengar's giving Onix a hard time, folks." The announcer said on my TV as I cheered on the battle.

My names a Ash Ketchum. By tomorrow, I'll be ten years old and ready to start my own Pokémon journey.

Ever since I was a little kid, I've always dreamed of being a Pokémon master.

You see when a kid turns ten years old, he picks his first Pokémon and travels the world, trying to perfect the art of Pokémon battling.

That's what I want to do.

"Ash Ketchum! Will you go to bed?!" My mom yelled as I threw my Poké ball alarm clock.

The ball sailed across the room and landed in my moms hand.

"It's three in the morning. You should be getting to bed." She said and threw the alarm clock in my bed.

"Aw come on mom. Can't I finish this?" I asked, pointing to the TV.

She sighed "you just love watching those battles, don't you?" She said and flipped the channel to the instructional video Professor Oak has the new trainers watch.

"Once this is over, head straight to bed." She said and closed the door.

Alright then. I thought and sat at the chair at my desk, watching as Professor Oak explained the three starter Pokémon a trainer can choose.

As I watched, I couldn't help but grin.

I can't wait for tomorrow. I thought.

**well, Soren's going on a journey, the others will stay behind...and Ash is just hours away from becoming a trainer. **

**How will they, meet? Will they become rivals, or best friends? We'll find out as the adventure begins. **


	5. Chapter 4

**hey guys, sorry for the long wait. But here's a new chapter. Hope you enjoy. **

Chapter 4

(Soren)

The next morning, me and Lucina packed our bags with anything important for the journey with the new bags Oak gave us.

I packed my sword, Lightbringer, just in case there was trouble on the road.

I slipped on my gauntlets, only to realize that the right one was still with Oak.

I'll get it when I get Charmander and Eevee. I thought.

"You ready?" Lucina asked.

I nodded and noticed that she was still wearing her sword.

"Are you sure you need that?" I wondered.

She glanced at her weapon and sighed. "I'm...I'm not so sure. Ever since...you know, Grima rising and all, I haven't felt comfortable without it." She said and started clipping it off her belt.

I stopped her. "You don't have to take it off, I'm just saying-"

"No, you're right. You have your sword well concealed. If I wore Falchion...I might give us away to whoever brought us here." She said and threw the sword on the bed. "It's better that we fit in."

I nodded. "I understand. And don't worry, I'll be sure that you'll be included." I said.

She smiled and gave me a hug. "I'll help any way I can, Soren. You know I will."

I shrugged. "I know, but I still think you should take it. Just in case. I'd hate it if you didn't have anything to protect yourself with."

After a second of thought, Lucina clipped the sword back on as the door opened behind me. Standing at the doorway was Chrom.

"Oak's waiting for you." He said. "Let's head on upstairs."

"Okay. Let's go." I replied, and the three of us left for the lab.

As we walked up the stairs, I noticed two other trainers waiting by some cylinder object with Professor Oak standing behind it.

"Ah, Soren. Come on up." He said as I walked up between the purple shirt kid and a long brown haired girl.

"Alright...apparently, we're only missing one trainer." Oak said.

The crazy haired kid scoffed. "Of course. Ash is always the last one here." He muttered.

The girl glared at him. "At least be nice for once, Gary." She said.

"Well, I'll do something about it later. As for you two, I'll give you one of the three. Soren here has already chosen Charmander."

To my surprise, they didn't seem to care.

"Not really the Pokémon I've chosen, but nice choice." The girl said and picked the ball in front of Gary. "I'll take Bulbasaur."

"Yeah, whatever. I chose Squirtle." Gary muttered and grabbed the last ball.

"Very well, then. I'll give you six spare Poké balls for the journey, that way you can catch your own Pokémon. And you two get this pokédex." He said and handed the other two a small red gadget.

"Thank you." The girl said and put the items in her bag.

"Whatever. Smell ya later." Gary said, grabbing the pokédex and dashing out.

What's his problem? I thought and took the six Poké balls. "Thanks, professor." I said.

He nodded, then face palmed. "I almost forgot." He looked over his shoulder. "Eevee!"

Eevee ran up beside him and leapt onto the cylinder.

"Eevee, you're going with Soren. He'll do a better job at training you than me." Oak said.

"Does she have a Poké ball?" I asked.

The professor nodded. "She does, but she doesn't seem to like it."

I shrugged. "That's fine. She can sit on my shoulder."

Eevee beamed at me and jumped on. "Wow, it's actually pretty comfortable here." She said.

I smiled. "You can stay out of your ball if you want."

She nodded. "Sure."

I looked to the others. "What do think?"

Everyone looked over us, then nodded.

"You look great." Lucina admitted.

I nodded. "Thanks. And I'll take good care of the Pokémon, professor."

He smiled. "Alright. Good luck, both of you."

Looks like my journey is about to start.

(Ash)

I immediately woke up to the sound of cheering outside the house.

At first I thought it was for me...when I realized that I haven't even gotten my first Pokémon yet.

That means...oh man! I overslept!

I snapped awake and ran out the door in an instant in my pajamas.

I didn't really care. It was either get my Pokémon in PJs than not get one at all.

I ran as fast as I could, making sure that I didn't run into the cheering crowd.

Unfortunately, it was already at the lab.

"Aw man! Hopefully I'm not too late." I said and tried to run faster until I got pushed into the ground.

"Hey, watch it, wimp! Don't you know who you're dealing with?" A familiar voice said. "Oh, wait...you probably don't."

I angrily stood up. "Maybe you should watch where you're going, Gary!" I shot back. "I'm going to get my first Pokémon." I tried to run past him, but he grabbed the collar of my shirt and threw me back down.

"You're going in pajamas? Come on. What a loser." He sneered when suddenly, a blast of embers flew between us, scorching the ground.

"Enough!" Someone with an Eevee on his shoulder yelled behind Gary and roughly grabbed his shoulder. "Why don't you go pick on someone else, huh? That might help us more than just winning a league."

Gary tried to pull away. "Let go of me! Don't you know who I'm going to be? I'm going to the the best Pokémon trainer. Even better than this loser behind me."

The guy pushed him away. "Then go. And stay out of our way." He said.

Gary rubbed his arm, staring at the new guy as he jumped into the red car.

"Man I hate that guy." I muttered.

The guy chuckled and offered to help me up. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm alright." I said as he pulled me up. "Me and Gary have been hating each other since we were kids. Just because his grandfathers a professor."

"He's Oaks grandson?" He asked, glancing back to Gary as he drove off.

I nodded. "Yep."

The new trainer shrugged. "Well, I've had experience with those kinds of people. By the way, I'm Soren." He said and extended his hand.

"Ash Ketchum." I replied and shook it.

"Ash, huh? Well I hope to see you on the road sometime." Soren said and looked over his shoulder. "Now where is-"

"Hey, wait up?" A person called out.

I glanced behind Soren and saw a girl running towards him.

"You forgot your gauntlet." She said and handed it to him.

"Make that my first mistake of the day." He laughed and slipped it on.

"Who's this?" The girl asked once she saw me.

"His names Ash. And by the looks of it, he's starting his journey." Soren explained and turned to me. "This is Lucina. We're traveling together."

I nodded. "Nice to meet you."

Lucina smiled. "Nice to meet you too, Ash. Good luck on your journey."

I smiled back and nodded. "Sure. Thanks." Then I noticed a long red line hanging from her side. "Are both of you trainers?"

Lucina shook her head. "No. I'm just traveling with Soren. He's the trainer."

Soren laughed and glanced over to the Pallet town gate. "We should get going, but if we run into each other, Ash, let's see what you can do." He said, and the two of them started walking towards route one.

For Soren being older, he's not that bad. I thought as a hand patted my shoulder.

"I was wondering what happened to you, Ash." Oak said.

I immediately wheeled around. "I'm so sorry, professor. Please tell me there's some Pokémon left."

"You're not going in your pajamas, are you? I'm not sure if you're ready or not." He said.

"I promise, professor. I'm ready." I said frantically. There's no way I'm missing out.

Professor Oak looked at me, then shrugged. "Alright. Come on."

We both walked into Oak's house and went up the stairs to his lab, where there were five other people walking around the lab.

"So...what's going on?" I asked.

"Oh. They're new here." Oak said. "They're Soren's good friends."

"We're basically his family." The man corrected.

"That's true, Chrom. I forgot." Oak laughed and walked me over to the cylinder container with three Poké balls sitting on them. "Go on ahead and pick."

"Well, I already know who I want. I'll take Squirtle as my starter Pokémon." I announced and took the Poké ball to the far right.

Once I picked it up, it immediately snapped open, only to reveal that it was empty.

"Actually, that rude guy, Gary, already took him." Chrom said.

Are you kidding?

"Whatever, I change my mind. I'll take Charmander as my starter." I said and picked up the ball in the middle, only to realize that it was empty as well.

"Uh...sorry. Soren took him." The lady next to Chrom said.

Aw, man. This can't be happening.

I took the last ball. "Then Bulbasaur's my choice."

Nope. Already claimed too.

My heart sank. "Aw man. There's gotta be another Pokémon." I pleaded.

"Well...there is one, but he is a bit difficult." Oak warned.

"I don't care. I'll take him." I said.

The professor shrugged and pressed a button on the side of the cylinder.

On the flat surface of the container, another poké ball emerged, only this one had a lightning bolt design on it.

"This Pokémon is Pikachu. It's an electric type Pokémon." He informed me and opened the ball.

A small light flew out and landed on the cylinder in front of us. The light dispersed, and there stood a small yellow mouse with a lightning bolt like tail.

Despite the fact that it was angrily glaring at me, he actually looked pretty cute.

I tried to pet him, but he shocked my hand.

"Hey, what was that for?" I demanded.

"That was its Thundershock, but he does seem a bit hostile towards people." Oak said and grabbed a box of Poké balls and a pokédex off the table. "Take these. They'll help you on your journey."

I nodded. "Thanks, professor." I said and took the items.

He smiled and nodded back. "Good luck, Ash."

I carried Pikachu as me and professor oak walked back down towards a smaller and not as impressive crowd as Gary's.

In the front of the crowd stood my mom with my bag and clothes.

"Oh, wow! What Pokémon is that, Ash?" She asked as I took the clothes.

"This is Pikachu. He'll be Ash's starter Pokémon." Oak explained.

"Hey, I'll quickly run home and change. Then I'll head out."

Mom nodded. "Okay. Have fun." She said.

"Hey, why's Pikachu out of its Poké ball?" Someone from the crowd asked.

"Let's get him!" Another yelled, and the group advanced on me to get Pikachu.

I stepped back. "Wait, guys...it'll-"

Too late. As soon as they got to me, Pikachu let out a powerful Thundershock, zapping myself, and the entire crowd.

Once he was done, I glanced down and saw that my pajamas were completely black.

"Yep, I'm definitely changing." I muttered and dashed home to change.

Not quite the start I had in mind.

(Soren)

"Okay, so Route one is supposed to be full of Pokémon." Lucina said, looking over the town map Oak gave us.

"Does it say what kind?" I asked.

She moved her finger along the screen, checking to see the rumored Pokémon. "It's supposed to have some Pokémon called Pidgey. Huh, never heard of it."

"Of course not. The only Pokémon we know right now are Charmander and Eevee." I said and brought out Charmander's Poké ball. "Oak recommended catching wild Pokémon. I'm not sure I know how to do that."

Eevee poked the side of my neck. "I'm sure I can help. After I was born, Oak took me along to his summer camp once. He was showing some kids how to catch Pokémon, so I'm sure that'll help."

Me and Lucina exchanged glances. Then I shrugged. "I guess you can help. Tell me what you know."

"Well, I don't know a whole lot, but I do know that it doesn't matter how many Pokémon you have to take the Pokémon down. You could have six Pokémon and you'll be fine."

I nodded. I guess there's a limit in trainer battles.

"Anyway, all that you really have to do is weaken the Pokémon until it faints. Then you throw one of those Poké balls and catch them. It takes a few wobbles with the ball, but after you hear a click, you got it." She explained further.

"Wow, for a young one like you, you sure make it sound easy." Lucina said, impressed.

Eevee giggled. "Thanks."

"I guess all we have to do now is find a wild Pokémon." I suggested.

Suddenly, a bird flew up from behind, pecking me on the head and landing right in front of us.

"Ouch! What in the...?" I grumbled and rubbed my head. "What was that for?"

"That's a Pidgey! Let's get it!" Eevee said and leapt right in front of me. Ready to battle.

"Let me see what the pokédex says." I told her and pressed the button, only this time, the picture of the Pokémon appeared on the screen instead of that floating picture.

"Pidgey, the tiny bird Pokémon. Pidgey are a common sight in forests and woods. It flaps its wings at ground level to kick up blinding sand. Pidgey is a Normal and Flying type. Gender: female. Current moves: Tackle, Sand attack, and Gust."

Well, there's Pidgey. I thought and looked down to Eevee.

She's raring to go, but can she really fight? What were her moves again?

Oh, I remember.

"Eevee, use tackle!" I commanded.

Eevee made a mad dash, running straight towards the Pidgey and ramming her in the chest, sending her flying a little ways until she maintained her flight. It let down on a nearby and glared at us.

"Okay, so that's how you want to be, then Eevee, use tackle again!" I said.

As Eevee ran towards the bird, she started getting blown away by a gust of wind.

This must be gust. I thought. This is one tough Pidgey.

"Stay strong, Eevee. Now use sand attack!" I commanded.

Eevee spun around and kicked up sand with her hind legs, spraying it at the Pidgey's eyes...only to realize that it didn't work.

What happened? I wondered and checked the battles status.

Sand attack wasn't a special move. It was a status move to lower the opponents accuracy. But...it didn't do anything to Pidgey.

I checked the wild Pokémon's status again, only to realize that the Pokémon has keen eyes. So sand wouldn't hurt it.

"Okay, make sand attack another move to forget." I muttered. "Now use Tackle one more time!"

Eevee dashed straight towards Pidgey, jumped, and rammed her into a tree, completely knocking it out.

"Quick, throw a Poké ball before it escapes!" Eevee said.

I nodded and brought out a spare ball, pressing the button and threw it. It sailed over the field and smacked the Pidgey, snapped open, then absorbed it inside.

I waited as it wobbled a few times, then I heard a click.

I got myself a Pidgey.

"Soren, you did it!" Eevee yelled and started to happily jump around.

"Great job, Soren." Lucina said.

I nodded. "Thanks, you guys. And Eevee, you were great too."

She smiled. "Happy to-"

Suddenly, lightning struck, and it started pouring rain on us.

"Aw, man. We'd better get somewhere quick." I said.

Eevee nodded and jumped on my shoulder as I grabbed the Poké ball off the ground. Lucina followed up beside me as we ran.

I wonder if anyone else made it. I thought.

(Twenty minutes earlier.)

(Ash)

Okay, let's just say I wasn't having a good start like Soren.

After changing clothes, and saying my goodbyes to Pallet town, Pikachu has been causing trouble right as we set foot on Route one.

"Come on, Pikachu." I pleaded and grabbed a coil of rope from my pack, tying one end on me and the other end on Pikachu. "Can't we be friends?"

Pikachu looked away angrily.

"Fine then." I said and grabbed his pokéball. "Pikachu, return!"

Before the ball could absorb him in, he quickly jumped and whacked the ball out of my hand.

"I guess he doesn't like it." I wondered as I shook off the pain and untied the rope.

"Look, Pikachu, I really wish we could be friends. Really." I said.

At first, he looked at me, then ran up a tree.

"Aw, come on!" I shouted when suddenly, a Pidgey flew up and landed on one of the branches of the tree.

"A Pidgey!" I said and activated the pokédex.

"Pidgey, the tiny bird Pokémon. Pidgey is docile and prefers to avoid conflict. If disturbed, however, it can ferociously strike back. Gender: male. Current moves: tackle, and Sand attack."

"Okay then, Pikachu, use Thundershock, let's go!" I commanded.

Instead of attacking, Pikachu just sat there, starting to munch on an apple.

Some help you are. I thought. And grabbed a pokéball and threw it at Pidgey.

It absorbed it, but then Pidgey immediately popped back out.

"Aw great!" I muttered and kicked a rock. "At this rate, I'll never get better than Gary."

Little did I know, the rock sailed across the field and smacked a nearby Spearow in the back of the head.

I steered packing my rope and rubber gloves back in my bag when I heard Spearow cries from a distance.

Uh oh. I thought and wheeled around, just when a Spearow sped towards me and started attacking me with peck.

I tried to shake him off and accidentally sent him toward Pikachu, who shocked him as he flew by.

"Not bad." I said as I slipped my bag on. "But we're going to to to run before he-"

Too late. Before you could say "Squirtle", Spearow started crowing like crazy, no doubt alerting any nearby.

"Aw crud! Pikachu, come on!" I yelled and started running.

To my surprise, Pikachu started following me. I guess he hates Spearow as much as I do.

"Come on!" I said, and we both took off when the skies filled up with wild Spearow.

We only get a few feet before I heard Pikachu yelp in pain. I glanced back and saw him getting attacked by a few of them as the others came after me.

"Hey, back off!" I yelled and grabbed Pikachu, continuing my mad dash when I suddenly lost my footing and fell into a running river.

This is just not my day. I thought as we drifted through the water when I felt something tugging my shirt.

Then, out of nowhere, I found myself getting thrown out of the water and face first into the ground.

"What the...? How did you get there?" A girl asked as I shook off the weariness.

"Look, I don't really have enough time to explain." I said as I picked up the injured Pikachu.

"Well, you should get your Pikachu to a Pokémon center. There's one in Viridian city not too far from here." She said and pointed down the road when we heard Spearow cries.

"Aw man!" I grumbled and noticed the bike.

"Here, let me use your bike." I said, and before she could react, I put Pikachu in the basket and drove off.

"Don't worry, I'll return it!" I called back. "Somehow."

The sky clouded up above as I pedaled like crazy down the road.

I'd better get there before I get shocked from above. I thought when the bike suddenly flipped over, sending us flying.

I tried to get up, but my side hurt so much, I wasn't sure I would make it.

I glanced over to Pikachu and saw him struggling to move.

I fished out Pikachu's pokéball and aimed it at him.

"Pikachu, I know you hate your pokéball, but it's the only way you'll be safe." I said and put it beside him.

I did the most dumbest thing I could do, I leapt back on my feet and shielded Pikachu with my own body.

"Come on, you dumb Spearow! Come get me!" I yelled.

I waited for them to finish me off, when I felt something jump on my shoulder.

I quickly took a glance and saw Pikachu jump off my shoulder, straight into the crowd and released a powerful Thundershock.

All I remember seeing was a bright light strike down between me and the Spearow, and I was pushed back by a powerful gust of wind.

The next thing I knew, I was laid down with Pikachu staring at me.

After a few seconds, I smiled. "Thanks Pikachu."

To my surprise, he smiled back and nodded. "Pika...pi." He said.

I got back on my feet and picked the little guy up. "Let's get you to the Pokémon center." I said when I noticed a multicolored bird flying up ahead.

"What...is that?" I asked and brought out my pokédex, which I was actually surprised that it survived the water and the Thundershock.

"Ho-oh. The rainbow Pokémon. Ho-oh will reveal itself before a pure-hearted Trainer by shining its bright, rainbow-colored wings. Ho-oh is a fire and Flying type Pokémon. Gender: female. Current moves: Unknown."

Ho-oh? I thought and glanced back up and saw that it was already gone.

"I can't believe it. I just saw a Ho-oh!" I shouted.

Then I remembered Pikachu.

"Let's get you to the city." I said and ran down the hill towards the city in front of us.

**alright! Ash and Pikachu are friends (of course). Soren got his first Pokémon, and Ho-oh revealed itself to Ash (and possibly Soren) we'll see what happens next. **

**Hope u like it. Please review. **


	6. Chapter 5

**hey, what's up guys? This is Ace with a brand new chapter for ya. This one was a bit hard to figure out how to do, but with the help from a poll...I'm hoping I pulled it off. I hope you enjoy. **

Chapter 5

(Soren)

"Phew! What a storm!" I said as we walked through the city.

"Yeah, but did you see that giant thunderbolt?" Lucina asked.

I shook my head. "No. I didn't. But I did see some golden winged bird."

"You couldn't get a reading?" She asked and shook off the water on her jacket.

"No. I was too focused on not getting wet." I said and did the same.

Suddenly, Eevee started shaking off the water on her fur, spraying it all over me.

"Oh, come on. Seriously?" I asked and shook the jacket off more while Eevee giggled.

"Sorry, my bad." She said, trying not to laugh.

I smiled and shook my head. "Let's just get somewhere to-"

Out of nowhere, a kid with a yellow mouse in his arms brushed past us and ran for the orange building.

"What was that about?" I asked.

"Soren, that was Ash." Lucina said. "It looks like that Pokémon he was carrying is hurt." Eevee mentioned.

"Let's follow him." I said, and we ran after Ash.

"Nurse joy! You've gotta help Pikachu!" Ash said as we walked in.

"Don't worry, he'll be alright." The nurse at the counter said, and eh helped the yellow Pokémon into one of the rooms in the long hallway.

"Pikachu." Ash said to himself and noticed us.

"Soren? Lucina? What are you guys doing here?" He asked.

I smiled and shrugged. "We were just walking in the city when we saw you run past us."

"So...that Pokémon you had...did you catch it?" Lucina asked.

Ash shook his head. "No...Pikachu's my starter Pokémon."

Me and Lucina exchanged glances. "Pikachu's your starter?" Lucina asked.

He nodded his head. "Yeah, since Gary took Squirtle, Soren took Charmander, and someone else took Bulbasaur."

I looked away nervously. "Right...my bad."

He laughed. "No problem. Don't worry about it."

As we waited, Ash had already called his mom, telling her where he was when I pointed out the strange carved picture on the wall. It had four separate pictures of birds, each with a different appearance.

At first, he stared at it a bit, then rushed towards the phone line again.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"I saw something like that bird just earlier." He said, pointing to the picture in the bottom right.

I glanced back to it. "The golden bird?"

"Yeah. You saw it?" He asked.

"Well, I didn't, but Soren did after the storm cleared." Lucina said.

"I saw it too." Eevee said.

"Yeah, I'd bet you...wait a minute...you talked!" Ash said, leaning back in his chair.

Eevee just laughed. "Yep. I did."

I smiled and shook my head. "Eevee was born with the ability to speak human language." I explained.

"Well...when you put it that way, I guess that's okay." Ash muttered when the screen behind him displayed Professor Oak.

"Well...hello Ash." He said through the screen. (Somehow).

"Oh, Professor Oak. Sorry about that. Didn't know you answered." Ash replied, rubbing his head.

Oak just waved that off. "No worries, lad. And it appears that you and Soren have met now."

"Yeah. Well...we met just before I got Pikachu." Ash said.

"Speaking of Pikachu...how's he doing? You two getting along?"

"Getting along?" I asked.

"Pikachu didn't seem to trust me at first, but after an incident I had with a bunch of Spearow, he finally started to trust me." Ash explained to both of us.

"That's great to hear, Ash. And...by the news from your mother, you're already at Viridian city." Oak acknowledged.

Ash nodded. "Yep."

"Great to hear. That means you can register for gym battles, correct?"

"You bet!" Ash replied.

Me and Lucina exchanged glances.

"Okay, what are gym battles?" Lucina asked.

"They're almost like trainer battles, but a lot tougher." Ash explained. "All you have to do is travel through a specific region and find eight gyms, then you challenge the gym leader. If you beat him, you get a badge."

"And what do you do with the badges?" I asked.

"That's when you challenge the Pokémon league." Oak clarified.

Ash nodded in agreement. "That's what I'm going to do. And that's how I'll become a Pokémon master." He said and clenched his fist.

I smiled. "That's what you want to do, huh? Then I'll sign up too."

"Really?" Ash, Lucina, and Oak asked in unison.

I waved my hands. "Hey, no need to be surprised." I laughed.

"Oh, right!" Ash said and wheeled around towards the screen. "Professor, we some super cool Pokémon earlier on the way here. The pokédex said it was a Ho-oh."

"WHAT?! You saw Ho-oh?!" Oak shouted.

"What's Ho-oh?" I asked.

"Ho-oh's a legendary Pokémon that lives in the Johto region, which is only west of Kanto." Ash explained.

"Which also means it's super rare. It is said that when a trainer lays eyes on Ho-oh, it's said to give him or her good luck." Oak said.

"Rare legendary Pokémon? That's new." I muttered.

Eevee nodded in agreement. "Me too. I mean, I was only out of the egg for a couple weeks."

Suddenly, a noise echoed across the Pokémon center.

"Ash, Pikachu's doing just great, we're bringing him over to the counter." A voice said.

"Great." He called up and turned back to the screen. "Gotta go, Professor."

"Alright, Ash. Good luck." Oak replied, then the screen went black.

"Uh...what just happened?" Lucina wondered.

"Oh, Professor Oak must've hung up." Ash explained and started heading towards the counter.

"Hold on a second. Hung up?" I asked.

"Yeah. Where you cut the line on the phone." He said. "You ever heard of it?"

We both shook our heads. "Not really. I mean...we've...never had one." I admitted. "Where we're from...we never had this kind of stuff."

"Where exactly are you from, then?" Ash asked.

I was about to answer when some girl angrily ran in and pointed at him.

"You...you nitwit! Do you have any idea how much that bike was?" She demanded.

Ash stared at her, like he was trying to remember something.

"Bike? Oh...uh...right." He said and laughed. "I'm sorry about that. Pikachu must've zapped it."

"Oh, don't go - wait a minute...Pikachu?" The girl asked.

Ash nodded. "Yeah, Pikachu probably zapped it when he scared away the Spearow."

The nurse came by with Pikachu on a bed with wheels.

Okay, what is up with these people and their technology?

"Pikachu's all set." The nurse said.

"Thanks a lot." Ash replied as Pikachu hopped on his shoulder.

"Well, he does look good on your shoulder, Ash." Lucina admitted.

He looked at her with confusion, then glanced at Pikachu. "You know, you could be right. He does go well on my shoulder."

The girl just shrugged her shoulders. "Well, I guess...but you owe me a new bike. You hear?"

"Okay, I'll get you a new one. Promise." He said defensively.

"Oh, yes...Ash, I couldn't help overhearing, but I could help you register for the Pokémon league." The nurse suggested.

"Sure. And if you don't mind registering Soren, that's be great, Nurse Joy." Ash replied.

"Very well then. If you'll hand me your pokédexs, I'll get you started right away." She replied.

Ash nodded and procured a similar red gadget Gary and that other girl received and gave it to the doctor.

"Thank you." She replied and slid it into a slot of a metal box in front of her.

Suddenly, Ash's portrait appears on the screen above the counter, with one slot having Pikachu's portrait.

"Ash Ketchum. Hometown: Pallet town in Kanto. Badges: Zero. Would you like to register for the Pokémon league?" A voice asked.

"You bet." Ash replied.

After a second, the pokédex slid back out.

"Ash Ketchum registered. Good luck." The voice said.

"Alright then. Good luck." Nurse joy said and gave him back the pokédex.

"Now, Soren?" She asked me and offered to take my pokédex.

Which...for the moment...it was on my glove.

Suddenly, a black card slid out from under the screen.

"Well, looks like Professor Oak's come up with a new kind of pokédex." She admitted and slid the card inter a smaller hole.

I glanced back at the screen as my portrait appeared with the portraits to Eevee, Charmander, and our new friend Pidgey.

"Soren. Hometown: unknown. Badges: Zero. Would you like to register for the Pokémon league?" The voice asked.

"Y-yes." I said nervously.

Wouldn't you just find it weird that you're talking to a screen?

"Soren registered. Good luck." The voice replied as the black card slid back out.

"Alright. You're all set." Nurse joy said as she handed the card back.

I took it and slid it back under the screen, where it lit up and my portrait appeared on the screen.

"I guess it's more than a pokédex." I muttered.

"So...do you guys know where to go for a gym?" Nurse Joy asked.

I shook my head.

"I heard there's a gym here in Viridian city." Ash suggested.

Joy frowned. "There is, but the gym leader's away. I'm not sure when he'll be back."

"Aw, that's too bad." Lucina said.

"But...if you go up further north, there's a gym in Pewter city." Joy reassured us.

"Alright then we'll go there." I said and noticed a black cube on the ground.

"What the-"

The cube exploded with a bright blinding light, sending me and the others flying behind the counter.

That was the last thing I heard before blacking out.

(Ash)

My ears rang as we struggled to get back up.

What the heck was that? I wondered.

I tried to feel around as my vision tried to clear up, that was when I saw the entire Pokémon center in shambles.

"Soren! Soren, wake up!" Lucina shouted, moving his shoulder.

"What happened?" I asked.

"Is he alright?" Nurse joy wondered.

"I-I don't know. He's not waking up." She replied, shaking Soren even more.

"We should get out of here." The ginger haired girl suggested.

"We can't move Soren too much." Joy tilt old her and glanced at Pikachu. "Can he use Thundershock?"

I nodded.

"Okay then, have Pikachu use a small amount on Soren. That'll wake him." She told me and glanced over the counter.

I motioned for Pikachu to give Soren a tiny shock as I looked over to the entrance. There were a bunch of black shirted guys with a giant red capitol "R" on the front.

"Who are those guys?" I asked.

Joy shook her head. "I'm not sure...but they don't seem friendly."

Suddenly, I heard a spark, and Soren snapped awake, coughing and grasping for his chest as if his heart was about to shoot out.

"What...what happened?" He asked.

"That must've been some kind of concussion bomb or something." Joy told him. "It did a great deal in you than-"

"Attention! This is Team Rocket speaking. We hereby order any trainers here to give up their Pokémon immediately! That is an order. No exceptions!" One of the men yelled through a megaphone. "If you do not comply, we will use deadly force."

"Who do these punks think they are?" Lucina demanded.

"A bunch of crooks, no doubt." The girl next to me said.

Soren procured a pokéball from his belt. "If they think they can just come in here and take other people's Pokémon, then they've got another thing coming." He said.

"Can you move?" Lucina asked him.

He nodded. "Yeah, I think so."

I nodded and turned to Pikachu. "You ready?" I asked.

"Pika!" He replied and clenched his fist.

That surprised me. Usually I'm the one that clenches my fist like that.

I shook it off and looked back over the counter, watching as a trainer fearfully gave his Sandshrew to one of the members.

Suddenly, Soren grabbed my shoulder. "Let me go first. Just stay behind me and Lucina." He said and leapt over the counter.

"Hey!" He yelled at Team Rocket. "You think you can just take people's Pokémon, then you're dead wrong."

"Who do you think you are?" One of the members demanded, procuring a pokéball from his belt.

"My names Soren, and you're leaving!" Soren shot back.

I heard the sound of a pokéball snapping open.

"Voltorb, Thunderbolt this punk!" The grunt yelled.

Voltorb's body glowed and it fired a powerful thunderbolt at Soren.

Suddenly, a domed disk emerged from Soren's left glove and he raised it in front of him, blocking the current.

Wow! I thought.

Soren readied his pokéball and threw it. "Charmander, bring it!" He yelled.

The ball snapped open, and there stood the fire type starter.

"Charmander, use Ember!" Soren commanded.

Charmander inhaled, then blew a large cloud of embers at the Voltorb, burning it in the process.

"Eevee, use tackle, let's go!" He told her.

She nodded and dashed straight towards the Pokémon, ramming it in the side, then jumped beside Charmander.

"Not bad, guys." Soren said.

"So, you want to get double the pain, huh?" The grunt sneered and threw one more pokéball. "Ekans come on!"

The ball snapped open, and a long, purple snake was coiled up beside Voltorb.

Charmander and Eevee were already raring to go. That was until Eevee's body started cackling with electricity, disabling her ability to move.

"What's going on?" I asked as Soren knelt down to check on his friend.

"Eevee's paralyzed." Joy informed me. "She won't be able to move."

Then I'll help. I thought and jumped beside Soren as he carried his partner in his arms.

"Pikachu, use Thundershock, let's go!" I commanded.

Pikachu's cheeks sparked, and he fired a powerful bolt at the Ekans, zapping the daylights out of him.

"Nice, Ash." Soren acknowledged. "Now use Ember on the Voltorb, Charmander!"

"Pikachu, use Thundershock on Ekans again!" I shouted.

Ekans immediately dodged the attack while Voltorb took a massive burn from Charmander.

"Alright! Nice." Lucina said behind us.

"Thanks." Me and Soren said in unison. Then we flashed a grin at each other.

"Okay, real cute, twerps." The grunt sneered. "Voltorb, use thunderbolt, Now!"

Voltorb's body glowed brightly, and it fired another thunderbolt at...Soren!

"No!" Eevee suddenly screamed, and she immediately evolved into Jolteon and fired a thunderbolt herself.

The two bolts collided and exploded, leaving a small bit if smoke behind.

"What in the...?" Soren demanded and glanced at his partner...who turned back into an Eevee and fainted.

"What...happened to her?" I asked.

"I'm not sure." Soren said as he picked her up. "But I don't feel any electricity coursing through her."

"That's weird." Nurse joy said and threw a pokéball in the air.

It snapped open, and in front of us stood a plump pink Pokémon with an egg like pouch on her stomach.

"Chansey, use Egg bomb!" Joy commanded.

The grunts stepped back a few spaces when Chansey grabbed the egg from her pouch and threw it at them. The egg exploded, sending them flying out of the Pokémon center.

Even though I thought the egg was completely destroyed, it started rolling back to Chansey, where she picked it up and put it back in her pouch.

"Great job Chansey." Joy said. "Now return."

Chansey nodded, and the red light absorbed her back into the pokéball.

"You'll regret this, punk." The lead grunt snarled.

"I don't think so." Soren shot back as he gave Nurse joy his a Eevee for healing. "Try attacking this place again, and we will stop you. That's a promise."

The grunt got up and returned his Pokémon. "You just made yourself the enemy to Team Rocket. And we don't take people like you lightly."

"I know. I've dealt with people like you before." Soren snapped and released his Pidgey.

"Pidgey, use gust!" He commanded.

"Pidge!" She replied, and blew a powerful gust of wind, sending the Team Rocket grunts flying out of the Pokémon center.

"All right! Way to go!" I cheered.

All around us, the other trainers cheered as those grunts high tailed out of here.

"Thanks a lot, kid!" One trainer said.

"You sure showed them!" Another one yelled.

I glanced towards Soren, and we nodded in unison.

Looks like we made quite the team. I thought.

(Soren)

The next morning, things got a little, dull, but me and Lucina were soon ready to start heading towards Pewter city for my first gym battle.

"Hey, wait up!" Ash called after us.

We wheeled around and saw him and the ginger haired girl running up to us.

"Hey, we were just wondering...if we could travel together." He panted.

Me and Lucina exchanged glances, then we nodded. "Sure. We did make quite a team." I said.

Ash nodded, then looked at Eevee with confusion. "What I don't understand is...how come you're still an Eevee, and not a Jolteon?"

She shrugged. "I'm not sure. Must be some ability I was born with."

"Then I guess we'll find out as we travel." Lucina said.

"Then I'm coming too. After all, this buster here owes me a bike." The ginger haired girl said.

"And...who are you?" I asked.

"The names Misty." She replied.

I grinned and nodded. "Happy to have you along, Misty." I said.

She nodded, and started heading out towards Pewter city.

Looks like a real journey has just begun. I thought.

**all right then. Eevee's got a new power, Ash and Soren decided to form a team, Team rocket rrveals themselves (no, not Jesse, James, and Meowth. I hated those guys.)**

**anyway, I hope u enjoyed it. Leave a review plz. **


	7. Chapter 6

**hey, what's up guys? Here's Ace with a brand new chapter for ya. **

**Oh...and guess what! There is now an official 3DS remake of Pokémon ruby and sapphire. I introduce to you...Omega Ruby, and Alpha Sapphire. Releases in November. **

**Anyway, I hope u like this. This was a hard chapter, so try not to flame me. **

Chapter 6

(Meanwhile, at an unknown building.)

"You what?" Giovanni demanded, pounding on his desk in anger. "You...a top commander, losing to two boys with just Pikachu and an Eevee?"

The grunt in front of him just stood there, waiting for Giovanni to finish before he gave an explanation.

"What do have have to say for this...insult?" Giovanni snarled.

"Sir. There's something you must know about the Eevee: it managed to transform into a Jolteon."

"Of course it does, you twit!" Giovanni yelled. "It's called evolution!"

The grunt shook his head. "But sir...it turned back into an Eevee. As if...as if it only absorbed the paralysis itself, enabling it to do so."

This sounded very peculiar to Giovanni. "Has it turned into any of the others?" He asked, scratching his chin.

His henchman shook his head. "No, but we could analyze-"

"Describe the Eevee's trainer." Giovanni interrupted.

The grunt looked up, trying to recall the event at the Pokémon center.

"He...he lolled around in his early twenties I believe. He had some weird gloves that I've never seen before. And the girl following him had a sword."

Sword? Could team Plasma be behind that? Giovanni wondered, then shook his head.

"What did the sword look like?" He asked.

"Well...it had some hole where the bottom of the blade ended. It looked like an ember, but I couldn't really tell." He explained.

Ember shaped hole? That could only mean one thing: my masters enemy has arrived. The Arcean has returned.

"Leave. You're dismissed." He said.

The grunt nodded, then left.

Looks like I have my target. He thought.

(Soren)

"So...all we have to do is walk through Viridian forest, then we're in Pewter city." Lucina said, looking over the town map as we walked.

"I wonder what kind of Pokémon there are in Viridian forest." Ash said out loud.

"We'll see for ourselves when we get there." I said and looked over my shoulder. Eevee was sitting beside a nearby tree. And she looked pretty down.

"What's up with Eevee?" Misty asked.

I shrugged. "I'm not sure. She's been like that since what happened last night." I said and walked over beside her.

"Hey, you okay?" I asked.

She was quiet, but she nodded. "I'm...I'm fine."

I sighed. "That's not really convincing."

She scoffed. "I figured."

I smiled and petted her. "What's wrong?"

She was quiet for a moment, then immediately burst into tears.

"It's just...what happened last night...it scared me. Being able to do that? That's not natural. I'll be known as a freak because of it." She cried.

"No, that's not true. To be honest...I think that's an incredible power. Being able to do turn into one of your...what are they called again?

"Evolutions." She replied and smiled.

"Right. Right. But still, that's an incredible ability, and I'll help you with it." I said.

She looked at me. "You will?"

I nodded. "You bet."

She smiled and nuzzled my hand. "Thanks."

I shrugged. "It's nothing. I figured you just needed to let it out."

She nodded and leapt back onto my shoulder.

Lucina put her hand on my shoulder. "Hey, Soren. You ready?" she asked. "We're just finishing up packing our camping gear."

I nodded. "Yeah. We're ready."

She smiled and petted Eevee's head. "We'll help you figure out that ability of yours, Eevee."

"Thanks, Lucina." She replied.

"Alright then. Let's get going." I said, and we started walking through the forest entrance.

Truth be told, there weren't a whole lot of Pokémon at the entrance, so we were pretty bored.

"I think most of the Pokémon are deeper in the forest." Misty guessed.

"Probably." I agreed.

As we walked further into the forest, I noticed that Misty was looking a bit nervous.

What's she so worried about? I thought when I suddenly got slammed in the face by a green bug. Immediately getting my face covered by some silk.

"What in the...?" I shouted as the bug leapt off. I tried pulling the silk off my face as it rammed into me.

"What was that?" I demanded.

"That's a Caterpie." Ash said. "That's a tough one though."

What's Caterpie? I thought and activated my pokédex.

"Caterpie, the worm Pokémon. For protection, it releases a horrible stench from the antennae on its head to drive away enemies. Caterpie is a bug type. Gender: female. Current moves: Tackle and String shot."

How come it couldn't just use the stench instead of masking my face with silk? I thought.

"Soren...I think you should catch her." Ash suggested. "It did attack you. I'll catch the next Caterpie we come across."

Suddenly, he eyed something and ran straight towards it.

"Great...thanks." I muttered and readied a pokéball.

"Charmander, bring it!" I yelled as I threw it.

The ball snapped open, and there stood Charmander.

"Charmander, use ember!" I commanded, and he immediately blew a wind of embers at the bug.

It tried to dodge, but ended up getting burnt on the side.

Looks like we got it. I thought. "Okay, now use scratch!" I said.

Charmander nodded and dashed straight towards Caterpie, giving her multiple scratches on the side she was burned.

"Keep it up." I said and checked the status.

Looks like she's in red. I thought and readied another spare pokéball.

"Okay, Charmander, enough." I commanded. "Now it's time to catch it!" I said as I threw the ball.

The ball smacked Caterpie's head, then absorbed it.

All right. Let's see what happens. I thought.

"Please lock." Eevee whimpered. Looks like she's as excited as I am.

The ball wobbled a few times, then clicked.

Caterpie was caught.

"Alright then, make that number four." Lucina said and picked up my newly filled pokéball.

I nodded and turned to Charmander.

"Thanks a lot, Charmander."

He smiled and nodded back as I returned him to his pokéball.

"I got Caterpie!" Ash yelled excitedly and ran over to us.

"You too?" I asked.

"Yeah, apparently." Misty muttered.

I looked at her with confusion. What's her deal?

"Hey, Soren...what do you say we have a quick battle?" Ash asked.

"Two on two?" I replied.

He nodded. "Sure. Let's get this going."

We stood a few feet away from each other a second later, ready to start our battle.

"Okay Caterpie, I choose you!" Ash said and threw his pokéball.

"Caterpie, bring it!" I yelled and threw mine.

Both pokéballs snapped open, and there stood both Caterpie's.

"Alright, I'll start us off." I said. "Caterpie, use Tackle!"

Caterpie obeyed and made a mad dash towards Ash's, knocking his flat on his back.

"Caterpie, retaliate with String shot!" Ash commanded.

His Caterpie obeyed, and fired a line of silk at my Caterpie, completely covering her with silk.

"Caterpie!" I yelled.

She tried wriggling herself out, but wasn't really successful.

"Okay, try tackle!" I commanded.

She tried to move, but instead fell flat on her face.

We man, we're in trouble. I thought. "Use string shot!"

She obeyed, firing

Suddenly, her body began glowing aqua blue, then she started changing shape.

"What...what's going on?" I demanded.

The light immediately dispersed, and there stood a green crescent moon shaped bug, without the silk.

"Caterpie?" I asked.

She shook her head (or her body) no.

My pokédex automatically activated itself with an image of Caterpie's new form.

"Metapod, the cocoon Pokémon. A steel-hard shell protects its tender body. It quietly endures hardships while awaiting evolution. Metapod is a bug type Pokémon. Current moves: Tackle, Harden, and String shot."

"So...you're a Metapod now?" I asked.

She nodded.

"Okay then, since you're not covered in silk anymore, use tackle!" I commanded.

She nodded again and dashed straight towards Ash's Caterpie, ramming into him and sending him flying.

"Alright, way to go!" I cheered.

"Caterpie, now use tackle, let's go!" Ash yelled, and his Pokémon tried to run towards me.

"Quick, use harden!" I commanded.

Metapod body glowed with a silver color, then became steel as Caterpie rammed into her.

"Wow, I guess status moves are okay." I muttered. "Now finish him off with one last tackle!"

Metapod's coat faded, and she rammed right into Caterpie, instantly knocking him out.

"Alright. Not bad." I said and returned Metapod to her pokéball.

"Caterpie, great job. You take a good long rest." Ash said as he returned his Pokémon.

"Looks like that leaves us with one more." I said and turned to Eevee. "You ready?"

She nodded. "You bet!" She replied and leapt right in front of me.

"Pikachu, let's go!" Ash said, and his partner leapt right in front of him.

I don't think I ever got a reading on Pikachu. I thought and activated my pokédex.

"Pikachu, the electric mouse Pokémon. Pikachu raises its tail to check its surroundings. The tail is sometimes struck by lightning in this pose. Pikachu is an electric type Pokémon. Gender: male. Current moves: Thundershock and Tail whip."

Okay, so our Pokémon are pretty evenly matched. Despite Eevee's ability. I thought.

"Okay, Ash...give us everything you've got!" I called over.

He nodded. "Right. Pikachu, Thundershock, let's go!" He commanded.

Pikachu charged himself up and fired a wave of electricity at Eevee.

"Eevee, quick, dodge it!" I said.

Eevee jumped, missing the bolt by an inch as it struck the ground right in front of me.

"Okay, now use sand attack!" I commanded.

Eevee leapt around and sprayed dirt at Pikachu, covering his eyes completely.

"Okay, great job!" I said. "Now use Tackle!"

Eevee dashed straight towards Pikachu, ready to ram into him.

"Dodge it, quick!" Ash yelled.

Despite having his eyes covered in dirt, he managed to jump out of the way just in time.

Dang he's fast. I thought.

"Turn around and tackle again!" I commanded.

Eevee stopped herself, wheeled around, then struck Pikachu in the back.

"Now, Pikachu, Thundershock, let's go!" Ash said.

Pikachu recovered from his injury, then fired a bolt of lightning at Eevee.

It struck its target, leaving her...less harmed than she should be.

What the...? I wondered.

Suddenly, Eevee's body was enveloped in lightning bolts, then she turned back into that Jolteon.

"Wow. I guess I know what triggers it then." I muttered.

But despite that, she collapsed, unconscious.

The battle was over. Me and Ash were tied.

"Alright, Pikachu!" Ash cheered and wiped off the remaining dirt off his partner.

I ran over to Eevee's side as she glowed and reformed herself to...well, an Eevee.

"Hey, you okay?" I asked as I picked her up.

She shook her head and buried it in my face. I could already tell she was crying.

"Hey, this is not bad." I assured her. "I told you I'll figure this out. Okay? I'll find a way to help you control this."

She looked at me, then smiled. "Okay. I trust you."

I grinned and helped her back on my shoulder.

"Looks like we're tied." Ash said as he walked up to me.

I nodded. "Yeah, but next time...I won't go easy."

"You know, it's getting dark." Lucina said. "I think well set up camp. We'll go Pokémon hunting tomorrow."

I nodded. "Okay. Let's camp here for the night."

Everyone agreed, and we started helping each other with camp.

As I pitched the tent, I noticed Eevee having a small conversation with Charmander, Pikachu, and Metapod, and I couldn't help but smile.

Looks like my other Pokémon understand Eevee's situation too. I thought as I hooked the last pole.

I'll help her train in the morning.

(Ash)

The next morning, I was immediately woken up to someone screaming.

"What in the-" Lucina asked as she popped her head out of the tent. "Who screamed?"

I glanced around, and saw Misty scooting away from my Caterpie.

"Get it away!" She yelled, trying to get distance between her and Caterpie.

"Misty, relax!" I said. "He's just a Caterpie."

She shook her head frantically. "There is no way I'm going near that thing. I hate...bugs." She said.

"What's wrong with bug types?" I demanded.

She continued shaking her head. "Just get that thing away from me!" She yelled.

Caterpie was immediately offended, and returned himself to his own pokéball.

"Aw man, Caterpie." I grumbled and picked it up. "Come on...she didn't really mean it."

"Hey, where's Soren?" Lucina asked.

I looked from the ball and checked the campsite. "He wasn't in the tent?"

She shook her head. "Eevee's gone too."

I shrugged. "He probably went to help her train a bit."

"I'm not sure he knows how to do that." She muttered.

This surprised me. "Seriously? Where did you guys live?"

She rubbed her arm when Soren suddenly ran through the bushes.

"What happened? Is anyone hurt?" He asked.

I laughed and shook my head. "Everyone's okay. Just Misty and her insectphobia."

He looked at her. "Insectphobia?"

She laughed nervously. Then angrily glanced at me.

"Where did you go?" Lucina asked him.

He shrugged. "Just went to help Eevee. Ran into some wild Pokémon, so I just thought battling them would help."

I gave a thumbs up. "That's a good way to train."

He grinned and procured two pokéballs from his belt. "Come out and meet the gang!" He said and threw them in the air.

The balls snapped open, and there stood a Bulbasaur and a Pikachu.

"You've got a Pikachu?" I asked as mine leapt off to meet his kin.

Soren nodded. "Yep. And they actually put up a great fight."

"So that means you have six Pokémon now." Lucina guessed.

He nodded. "Yeah. I would say so. And Eevee's actually gotten stronger too." He said and patted Eevee's head.

"So you're all set then?" I asked.

"Yep. Let's just-"

Suddenly, a wild Pidgeotto flew right past us and landed nearby Soren's tent.

"Alright, let's see what Dexter says." I replied and activated my pokédex.

"Pidgeotto, the bird Pokémon, and the evolved form of Pidgey. Pidgeotto are very protective of its sprawling territorial area, this Pokémon will fiercely peck at any intruder. Pidgeotto is a normal and flying type Pokémon. Gender: male. Current moves: Gust, Quick attack, and Sand attack."

"So...Pidgey evolves into Pidgeotto?" Soren wondered.

"I guess so." I replied and grabbed a spare pokéball from my pocket.

"And I'm catching it." I announced and threw the ball. It sailed straight towards him, but he swatted it away, making it smack my face.

"Uh...aren't you supposed to battle it first?" Lucina asked.

I facepalmed. "Right, forgot."

I glanced at Caterpie's pokéball. "Okay, Caterpie, I choose you!" I shouted and threw it.

It snapped open, and there he stood.

"Okay, Caterpie, use String shot, let's go!"

Caterpie obeyed by completely wrapping Pidgeotto with silk, immobilizing him completely.

"Nice. Now he won't think about escaping." I said. "Now use Tackle!"

Caterpie braced himself, then ran into Pidgeotto with all his might.

"Dealt some damage, but not enough." Soren announced, looking over the battles status on his glove.

"Just make sure he doesn't get hit by gust." Misty told me.

I waved that off. "Please, don't you think I already know that? Besides, Pidgeotto's stuck in the string shot."

Suddenly, Pidgeotto glared at me, then broke out.

Oops. I thought.

Then, Pidgeotto flew up in the air and started blowing a powerful gust of wind.

"Caterpie, dodge it, quick!" I commanded. "Then tackle him."

Caterpie leapt out of the way, then bounced up in the air and rammed Pidgeotto in the underbelly.

"Nice! Now use string shot on his foot!" I said.

As he fell, he wrapped Pidgeotto's foot with silk, then pulled him down and rammed him down.

I flipped my hat. "Now let's do this!" I announced and grabbed the spare pokéball, throwing it at him.

The ball sailed over, hitting Pidgeotto on the head, then absorbing him inside.

I waited as the ball wobbled a few times, then snapped.

I got my second Pokémon: Pidgeotto.

"Alright!" I cheered and picked up the ball and snapped it on my belt.

"Nice job, Ash." Soren acknowledged with a grin.

I nodded, then stepped back as Caterpie started glowing blue. He changed shape, then evolved into Metapod.

"Wow...a win-win." Lucina muttered.

Suddenly, I heard footsteps behind me. I wheeled around and saw an old friend.

"Nice job, Ash." Leaf said, smiling. "Now let's see what you can do."

**well, it looks like Soren was busy. And both Caterpies evolved. **

**Now, there is a cliff, but you might know who Leaf was. **

**Anyway, I hope u liked this, please review (and no flamers! I mean it.)**


	8. Chapter 7

**hey, what's up guys? This is Ace with a brand new chapter. **

**Hope u enjoy. **

Chapter 7

(Soren)

"Leaf? What are you doing here?" Ash asked as he returned Metapod to his pokéball.

She shrugged. "I've been training for a bit...then I heard someone scream, so...here I am."

I tapped Ash's shoulder. "You know her?"

He nodded. "Leaf's a good friend of mine. We're both wanting to become Pokémon masters."

She nodded in agreement. "You bet."

Ash suddenly wheeled around. "So...what kind of Pokémon do you have?" He asked.

Leaf laughed. "I figured you would ask."

She procured three pokéballs from her bag and threw them in the air.

They snapped open, then three different Pokémon stood in front if her. One of them I immediately recognized.

"So you're the one that chose Bulbasaur." Ash said and petted the green Pokémon.

"Yep. He's actually quite a sweetheart." She said. "So who did you get?"

"Me? I got Pikachu." He replied, letting Pikachu jump back on his shoulder.

"Pikachu? Oak gave you a Pikachu as a starter?" She asked in amazement. "I've been trying to find one in this forest."

I crossed my arms. "Really? I just found one. They don't seem hard to find."

She waved it off. "It's okay." Then she clenched her fist. "Want to go for a three on three battle?"

Me and Ash exchanged glances. "Who exactly are you challenging?" He asked.

She pointed towards me. "Let's see what you can do. Then I'll take you on, Ash."

I grinned and nodded. "Bring it."

"Okay, Bulbasaur, let's go!" Leaf yelled and threw her first pokéball.

"Charmander, bring it!" I said and threw mine.

Both pokéballs snapped open, with Charmander standing in front of me and Bulbasaur standing in front of Leaf.

"Nice choice." She acknowledged. "I'll go first."

"Be my guest." I said.

She grinned. "Okay, now Bulbasaur, use Vine whip!"

"Dodge it, then use Ember!" I commanded.

As the green vines extended from Bulbasaur, Charmander jumped up in the air and blew his embers at his opponent.

"Roll out of the way!" Leaf yelled.

Just in time, Bulbasaur jumped to the side, having the embers leave a scorch mark beside him.

"Now, scratch him!" I said.

Charmander leapt from his spot and gave Bulbasaur a good scratch on the face.

"Get him back with Tackle!" Leaf yelled.

Just as Charmander landed on his feet, he immediately got rammed in the side.

Man, Bulbasaur's pretty tough. I thought. "Try Ember again!"

Charmander took a deep breath, then blew a powerful wave at Bulbasaur, striking him in the face.

"Alright! Now finish him off with Scratch!" I commanded.

Bulbasaur didn't stand a chance. Once Charmander scratched him, he immediately collapsed.

One down. I thought and turned to Charmander. "Great job, bud."

He nodded as I returned him to his pokéball.

"You take a good rest, pal. Thanks for your help." I said to him, then grabbed another pokéball from my belt.

"Alright, Metapod, let's go!" I said and threw it.

"Kakuna, come on!" Leaf yelled and threw hers.

Like before, the balls snapped open, and there stood my Metapod on my side, while a yellow bug shell sat at the other.

That's a new one. I thought and activated my pokédex.

"Kakuna, the cocoon Pokémon, and the evolved form of Weedle. Almost incapable of moving, this Pokémon can only harden its shell to protect itself when it is in danger. Kakuna is a poison and bug type. Gender: male. Current moves: Poison sting, Harden, and String shot."

So, it knows two of the same moves besides Poison sting. I thought.

"Okay, I'll start us off." I announced. "Metapod, use Tackle!"

Metapod dashed straight towards Kakuna, ready to pound him.

"Harden, Kakuna!" Leaf suddenly yelled.

As soon as Metapod made it over to Kakuna, she was immediately knocked out by his hard shell.

Well, that's something you don't see everyday. I thought and returned Metapod to her pokéball.

"I...that caught me off guard." Leaf admitted and returned Kakuna.

Looks like this is the last round. I thought and turned to Eevee. "You ready?"

She nodded. "You bet. Let's do this." She replied and leapt in front of me.

"Eevee?" Leaf asked, surprised. "You're Soren's Pokémon?"

She nodded. "Yep. He's my trainer."

She laughed. "Okay then. Let's see what you got against Nidoran." She said and threw her last ball.

It snapped open, and there stood a small, gray mouse.

"Who's that?" I asked and activated my pokédex.

"Nidoran, the poison pin Pokémon. Although small, its venomous barbs render this Pokémon dangerous. The female has smaller horns. Nidoran is a poison type. Gender: female. Current moves: Poison sting, Scratch, and Double kick."

"Okay then. Let's steer clear of its poison." I suggested.

Eevee nodded. "Let's do this."

It's a good thing we went training this morning. I thought. "Eevee, use Tackle!"

Eevee dashed straight towards Nidoran, ready to ram her.

"Dodge and poison sting!" Leaf commanded.

"Quick, use your new move to stop them!" I shouted.

Just as Nidoran leapt up in the air, she started firing purplish needles at Eevee as she wheeled around with her tail glowing, then fired a line of stars at the pins, destroying them.

"Nice one!" I cheered.

"Eevee learned swift?" Ash asked.

I nodded. "Yep. Just as we battled that wild Bulbasaur earlier today."

Nidoran landed right in front of Leaf, raring to keep going.

"Not bad." She replied.

I grinned. "Thanks."

"Now let's see how you fare against this!" She shouted. "Nidoran, use Double kick!"

"Soren, watch out!" Ash yelled.

Before I could react, Nidoran gave a series of powerful kicks at Eevee, knocking her back.

"Eevee! Get back at her with Swift!" I commanded.

Eevee quickly snapped back on her feet, the leapt in the air, firing a volley of stars at Nidoran, striking that mouse hard.

"Great job, Eevee!" I cheered.

As soon as she landed on the ground, she whimpered and leaned on her left leg.

One of the kicks must've hurt her leg. I thought. "Eevee, are you alright? Should we call it off?"

She shook her head. "No! I've got this. We can finish this, Soren. I trust you enough to get the job done. I don't care if we win or lose."

I stared at her in surprise. She...she trusts me?

I nodded. "Then let's end this! Use swift!" I commanded.

Her tail glowed, and she launched a volley of stars heading towards Nidoran.

A few of them hit their target, but Nidoran was able to dodge the rest.

I took one quick glance, and I noticed there were a lot of scratches on both Pokémon.

"Looks like we're almost done." I said. "Use tack-"

Suddenly, Eevee's body began to glow a different color. Instead of glowing Aqua blue, she was glowing bright green.

This was how she learned Swift. I thought.

Suddenly, Eevee zoomed straight towards Nidoran, ramming her in the face.

"What was that?" Lucina asked in amazement. "Was that tackle?"

I glanced at my gauntlet, checking the status.

Instead of having three moves, Eevee learned a fourth. Quick attack.

"Alright, Eevee!" I cheered.

"Let's finish this, then." Leaf said. "Nidoran, use Double kick!"

"Quick attack, let's go!" I commanded.

Both Pokémon dashed straight towards each other, ready to finish each other off.

Once they collided, a thick cloud of dust emerged, and they skidded back towards their trainers.

Both Pokémon tried standing, but then collapsed.

We were tied.

Leaf sighed and returned Nidoran. "Great job, Nidoran."

I ran towards Eevee cradling her in my arms. "You okay?" I asked.

She smiled. "Yeah, I'm...I'm okay."

I grinned. "You were awesome, Eevee."

"We should get her to the Pokémon center." Ash suggested.

I nodded. "Okay, let's go!"

Suddenly, we were sent flying from an a attack from behind.

"What the...?" I demanded.

Then, out of nowhere, someone grabbed Eevee by the scruff.

"Eevee!" I yelled when I get smacked in the face by a tentacled Pokémon.

"I'm pretty sure you don't want any harm coming to this runt, do you?" A familiar voice sneered.

"You!" I snarled and extended the shield on my gauntlet as the two tentacled octopus attacked me.

I stood up procuring a pokéball from my pocket and threw it. "Bulbasaur, let's go!" I shouted.

"Kakuna, come on!" Leaf yelled.

"Metapod, I choose you!" Ash said.

Three pokéballs snapped open, and there stood our Pokémon.

"Come on, Staryu!" Misty yelled and threw hers. A strange star-shaped Pokémon stood beside Bulbasaur.

"It's Staryu, but let's get Eevee back." Misty snapped.

I nodded. "Right. Now Bulbasaur, use Razor leaf!"

Bulbasaur's bulb lit up, then he fired a sharp, leaf-like boomerang at the octopus.

"Kakuna, poison sting!" Leaf shouted.

"Use tackle!" Ash commanded.

"Swift, Staryu!" Misty yelled.

All four Pokémon threw all their attacks at the Pokémon, striking him hard on the face.

As the Pokémon went down, I ran over to the grunt and smacked him in the face with my shield, making him drop Eevee pretty harshly.

"You're going to pay for this." He snarled. "For I, Archer, will be sure that you are eliminated, and that Eevee is in our possession."

I scoffed. "You and what army?"

He snarled, then returned his Pokémon. "Watch your back, runt."

I glared at him as he took off with his knocked out Pokémon, then glanced at Eevee. "You okay?"

She winced. "Yeah, I'm...I'm okay."

"Let's get her to the Pokémon center, quick." Leaf said and returned Kakuna.

Ash was about to return Metapod when he suddenly started glowing aqua blue. He was evolving.

His form changed, growing wings from his sides, then started flying in the air as the light dispersed.

"Butterfree!" He yelled.

"Your Metapod's a Butterfree!" Leaf said in awe.

Butterfree? I wondered as me and Ash glanced at our pokédexs.

"Butterfree, the butterfly Pokémon, and the final evolved form of Caterpie. It loves the honey of flowers and can locate flower patches that have even tiny amounts of pollen. Butterfree is a bug and flying type. Current moves: Stun spore, Tackle, Gust, and Psybeam."

"Alright, Butterfree!" Ash cheered.

"Let's get to the Pokémon center." Lucina said. "Is there one nearby?"

Leaf nodded. "There's one at Pewter city. It's not too far."

I nodded. "Then let's go."

After Ash returned Butterfree, we took off towards Pewter city.

I was so focused on Eevee, I completely forgot that Pewter was the place that had our first gym.

**well, now we know who leaf and that grunt guy is. **

**Ash's Metapod evolved, and Soren's Eevee learned Quick attack. Sweet. But now she's hurt...and they're heading in over to pewter. **

**Hope u enjoyed. And don't forget to review. **


	9. Chapter 8

**hey, what's up guys? Happy Mother's Day. (To those in here who are...never mind.)**

**this is probably one of the longest chapters I've made. But I really hope u enjoy it. **

Chapter 8

(Soren)

"Come on...we're almost there." Leaf said as we ran through the town.

While we were running, I quickly glanced at Eevee, who was already passed out.

"Hang in there, Eevee." I told her.

I don't really remember how long we were running, but by the time we arrived to Pewter city, it was already sundown.

"Nurse Joy!" Leaf yelled as we ran through the door. "We need your help. Eevee's hurt...bad."

She immediately left her desk and walked over to me. "Give her to me, and I'll see if I can help."

I nodded and handed her over.

"It's not too bad, but you'll have to wait for a while for her to heal." She suggested.

"Okay." I said.

She smiled and ran to one of the nearby rooms with Eevee in her arms.

Lucina put her hand on my shoulder. "She'll be fine."

I sighed. "I hope so. Dang, I should have seen that coming."

"None of us did." Ash said. "Don't blame yourself."

I smiled and nodded. "Okay."

As we waited in the lobby, leaf checked her watch. "I've got to get going. I've got another gym battle over at Cerulean city." She said and stood up from the bench we were sitting.

"Wait...you already beat the gym leader here?" Ash asked.

She nodded. "Yep. That was the battle that Kakuna evolved from Weedle."

I stared at her. "Seriously?"

She laughed. "Yep. The gym leaders tough, though. So I suggest not using a bug type against him."

I nodded. "I'll keep that in mind, Leaf. And thanks for the battle and all."

She smiled. "No problem. I guess we're rivals now."

I grinned. "I guess so. Next time we battle, I won't lose."

She nodded. "Alright then. I'll look forward to seeing what Pokémon you guys caught." She said and left.

"Man, you got a better rival than me." Ash muttered.

"Who's your rival?" Lucina asked.

"Gary." He grumbled.

I turned to Misty. "I didn't know you were a trainer."

She laughed nervously. "Yeah...I guess I forgot to mention that..."

"You taking on the gym leaders, then?" Ash asked.

She shook her head. "Nah. I'm not interested."

"Well, why wouldn't you be, young miss?" A gruff voice asked in front if us.

I almost freaked out. "Where'd you come from?" I asked.

He shrugged. "Just couldn't help overhearing your little conversation."

"Who are you, anyway?" Lucina demanded.

He turned to her. "Flint. Pleasure to meet you."

"Excuse me, but you said something about gym battles. Do you know who the gym leader is?" Ash asked.

He nodded. "Sure do. He's my son."

"Your sons a gym leader?" Lucina asked.

He nodded. "Yep. Brock's his name. If you want, I'll set him up for some battles tomorrow."

Me and Ash nodded. "We're in then. Thanks, sir."

He chuckled. "Sir? Come on, I'm not formal. Just call me Flint."

We laughed. "Okay then. We'll see you tomorrow, then."

He nodded. "Alright then. I'll let him know."

As he left, the noise overhead went off like the one in Viridian city.

"Ash, Soren, your Pokémon are ready. Eevee's still needs some rest, though." Joys voice said through the speakers.

I nodded. "Thanks." I muttered.

Lucina smiled. "She'll be okay. As far as I know, you're doing a great job raising her, even if we are new to this place."

Ash stared at us in confusion. "So...where exactly are you guys from?" He asked.

Me and Lucina exchanged glances.

"We should tell them." She said.

I nodded. He's been in the dark too long.

I turned to Ash and Misty. "Just to let you know...we're not from Pokéarth. We never were."

"So...you're aliens?" Misty asked.

I scoffed. "No, no. We're completely human." I laughed. "It's just...we're from a different human world."

Me and Lucina started explaining everything. From my recruitment to the events of Grima. (Lucina had to explain the battle of Valm, since I was MIA at that time.)

"So...you're a shepherd? But you protect people?" Ash asked.

I nodded. "The thing with shepherds is like tending to sheep, (that's...how it is in our world. I'm not sure if you guys call your sheep the same thing.)"

He nodded. "I understand."

"We're sorry we didn't tell you." Lucina said. "We're just...we figured that we would endanger anybody nearby if we were discovered by people like Team Rocket."

Ash nodded. "I completely understand. You're just making sure you try to stay safe until you find a way home, right?"

I laughed. "Yep, you got that right, Ash."

"Then I'll help any way I can." He said and clenched his fist.

"I can try to help." Misty muttered.

I nodded. "Thanks, you two. That really means a lot."

Ash nods in approval. "Be happy to help."

I smiled. We might actually become a great team.

Later that night, we decided to stay the night at the Pokémon center while Eevee got some rest.

Ash, Misty and Lucina were already fast asleep. I was the only one that couldn't.

"I, Archer, will be sure that you're eliminated." That member of team rocket had said.

"You and what army?" I remember telling him.

What if he has an army? I thought. He brought a group of grunts to the Pokémon center back in Viridian, what else would he try to do?

"Something tells me this will lead to something bigger than Grima." I said aloud.

"What's bigger?" Lucina asked behind me.

"Lucina? I...I thought you were asleep." I said, a little bit startled.

"Sorry. I just thought...you looked troubled." She said.

I nodded and turned towards the view. "It's about...that grunt."

"Team Rocket?"

I nodded. "I think...they have something to do with this. Our arrival to this world, possibly even Grima."

"Soren, we're worlds apart. There's no way they would've known." She said.

"What if there is? I think...this is going to lead to something bigger. Bigger than Grima. Morgan said so herself. Something happens to us in her future." I said.

She sighed. "Maybe, but she...she doesn't want to say anything. Her grandfather told her so."

"I'm sure Tiki told you that...when you first arrived." I said, recalling her jumping from that portal.

She shrugged. "Yeah, she did. But...I couldn't. Morgan...she and Coryn went through so much just to be with us. Just like I did."

I chuckled. "You're a lot like her then." I teased.

She softly punched my shoulder. "Very funny."

I laughed as she gave me a tight hug.

"Nothing is going to happen, Soren. For the time being, we'll be fine." She assured me.

I nodded. "I know. I have you to look after me, right?"

She scoffed. "Yeah. You do."

We started laughing pretty hard, then I quickly pulled a pokéball off my belt.

"Do you know what Pokémon you're going to use?" Lucina asked.

I shrugged. "As far as I know, Leaf told me and Ash not to use Metapod. But her Bulbasaur must've dealt some damage."

"Didn't she say that Brock uses Rock types?" She asked.

I nodded. "And I figured that moss wears down rocks, so I guess Bulbasaur has an advantage."

Lucina nodded. "Okay, then who else will you use?"

I shrugged. "I'm not exactly sure. I need some sort of chart or something that explains type advantages."

Suddenly, my gauntlet activated itself, and a complete chart appears on the screen.

"Well, that's new." I muttered and flipped over to the rock types. "Okay, so they're weak against Grass, Water, Fighting, Ground, and Steel. Dang, I only have the grass type."

"Why not try Eevee?" She suggested.

I shook my head. "She should rest. She deserves that much after what we just went through."

She nodded. "I know, but we should give her a chance. She's a tough fighter."

I nodded. "Alright. She's actually gotten this far. I guess she can give it a try."

Hopefully I don't put her in a bad spot.

The next morning, I was able to pay Eevee a visit while the others went to get something to eat.

"Hey there." I said, walking in the room with a bowl of Pokémon food. "Thought you might be hungry."

"Starving." She exclaimed.

I laughed as I placed the bowl beside her. She immediately started chowing down.

"Well, I thought after all that sleep you would be hungry." I laughed.

She smiled and kept eating.

After watching her eat for a bit, I decided to let it out.

"Eevee...today there's a gym battle waiting for us, so...would you like to take part?" I asked.

She looked at me in confusion. "Who was your first choice?"

"There wasn't. I'm going to use Bulbasaur, but the other Pokémon I have won't stand a chance. You're the only one." I explained.

She smiled. "I'm in, then. I'll do what I can. I'll make you proud."

I grinned. "I know you will."

Once she finished eating, she leapt on my shoulder. "Let's go then."

I nodded. "Alright. Let's do this."

"Well, I was wondering if you would show up." Flint said as we walked up towards the gym.

"Sorry. Rough night." I said.

He laughed and shook his head. "No problem, kid. You ready to take on Brock?"

Me and Ash nodded.

"Alright then...let's go." He said, opening the double doors and led us to a large room with a battlefield covered in rocks.

"Wow...this is new." I muttered.

At the end of one side of the battlefield stood a young guy that looked a lot like Flint. I took it that he's Brock.

"Welcome to the Pewter gym." He said. "I'm Brock."

"Nice to meet you Brock." Ash replied. "I'm Ash Ketchum from Pallet town."

"The name's Soren." I said.

Brock nodded. "Nice to meet you guys. So who wants to challenge me first?"

Me and Ash exchanged glances. I was almost tempted to throw Rock Paper Scissors at him, but then I just decided to let him go first.

"Go ahead." I told him.

He nodded. "Thanks, Soren."

I walked up to sit beside Lucina on the bench as Ash stood on the trainers square of the battlefield.

Looks like this will get interesting. I thought.

(Ash)

"All right, this will be a two on two gym battle against Brock the gym leader..." Flint announced, pointing towards Brock. Then he pointed towards me. "On the other side is the challenger, Ash Ketchum from Pallet town."

I nodded and turned to Pikachu. "You ready?"

He nodded and leapt off my shoulder and into the battlefield.

"Alright then, Onix! Let's go!" Brock said and threw his first pokéball.

The ball snapped open, and there stood a giant rock snake.

Oh...boy. I thought and activated my pokédex.

"Onix, the rock snake Pokémon. It usually lives underground. It searches for food while boring its way through the ground at 50 miles per hour. Onix is a Rock and Ground type Pokémon. Gender: male. Current moves: Bind, Tackle, and Dig."

"Okay...looks like we'll have to be careful, buddy." I said. "Use Thundershock!"

Pikachu charged himself up and fired a powerful Thundershock at Onix.

It hit him, but all it did was bounce off.

Uh-oh. I thought.

"Alright, Onix, use Tackle!" Brock commanded.

"Dodge it, quick!" I said.

As Onix tried to slam his head on Pikachu, he leapt out of the way just in time for that giant snake to smack his head on a rock.

Ouch. I thought. "Alright, now you tackle him back!"

Just as Pikachu landed on the ground, he dashed straight towards Onix and smacked him in the face. It didn't do a whole lot, but it hurt him.

"Onix, get back up and use Bind!" Brock commanded.

As soon as Brock commanded, Onix snapped awake and wrapped Pikachu with his rock hard body, squeezing the daylights out of him.

"Pikachu! Get out of there!" I yelled.

Pikachu struggled trying to get out Onix's death grip, but wasn't successful.

"Pikachu!" I yelled and grabbed Pikachu's pokéball, attempting to return him, but to my surprise, I didn't work.

"Oh...man." I said and shook my head. "Stop! Stop!" I yelled.

To my surprise, Brock called Onix off, making him let go of Pikachu.

"Look, I can't let Pikachu get hurt like this. I...I forfeit." I said sadly as I walk up beside Pikachu and picked him up off the ground.

Brock nodded. "I completely understand. If you want, I can take you on tomorrow."

I nodded. "Yeah...I guess."

He smiled and returned Onix to his pokéball. "Just be sure to do some training before you take me on."

"I will. I'll be ready, Brock." I replied.

"I'll help him." Soren said as he walked up beside me.

Soren. I thought in awe.

"Alright then, you ready to take me on, then...Soren?" Brock asked.

He nodded. "Bring it."

As I turned to walk up to the stands, Soren put his hand on my shoulder. "You did your best. That's what's important."

I looked at him. "I'm just not sure if it was good enough."

(Soren)

As Ash left for the stands, I couldn't help but feel sorry for him.

I'll help you train, kid. I promise. I thought and braced myself for the battle.

"Okay, this will now be a battle between Brock, the gym leader, and Soren, the challenger. It will be a two on two battle, and only the challenger can substitute." Flint announced.

Me and Brock nodded in unison, indicating that we understood.

"Alright! Battle, begin!" Flint yelled.

I procured Bulbasaur's pokéball and threw it. "Bring it, Bulbasaur!" I yelled.

"Onix, let's go!" Brock yelled and threw his Onix back out.

"Bulbasaur, use vine whip!" I commanded.

Just like Leaf's Bulbasaur, long vines extended from under his bud and reached to hit Onix.

"Dodge it, Onix!" Brock yelled.

As soon as he said it, Onix tried to move out of the way when one of the vines hit his side.

Okay, at least one of them hit. I thought.

"Tackle, Onix!" Brock yelled.

As Onix looked over his small wound, he immediately snapped to attention and tried to ram into Bulbasaur, but missed and hit another rock.

Ouch. I thought. Good thing he's got a hard head.

"Now, try Razor leaf!" I commanded.

Bulbasaur's bud glowed, and he fired a volley of sharp leafs at Onix, striking him all over.

"All right! Nice shot!" I cheered.

Onix shook away the dizziness and roared at us.

He's mad. I thought. "Brace yourself, Bulbasaur!" I yelled.

"Tackle, now!" Brock commanded.

Onix roared at us again and immediately smacked Bulbasaur with his hard head, sending him flying into the wall.

"Bulbasaur!" Me and Eevee yelled.

I waited for him to move, but no luck. Bulbasaur was out.

"Bulbasaur can no longer continue." Flint announced.

I grumbled and returned Bulbasaur. "Great job, bud. You rest easy." I told him and turned to Eevee. "You ready?"

She glanced at Onix nervously, then nodded. "I'll try."

I smiled. "Then let's do this." I said as she hopped off my shoulder into the battlefield.

"Battle, begin!" Flint yelled.

"Eevee, Swift!" I commanded.

Eevee's tail glowed, and she hurled a volley of stars at Onix, striking him all over like the razor leaf. Didn't do a whole lot, but it hurt.

"Use tackle, Onix!" Brock yelled.

"Dodge it with Quick attack!" I commanded.

Just as Onix tried to ram into Eevee, her body glowed, and she zoomed out of the way and rammed him in the face.

"Great job, Eevee." I said. "Now use Swift again!"

She nodded and hurled another volley of stars at the snake.

"Dodge them, fast!" Brock yelled.

Onix snapped to attention and dodged the volley as soon as he could. Then he roared at Eevee, immediately freezing her in place with fear.

"Eevee, hang in there." I said. "Try Quick attack again!"

Eevee's body glowed, but she didn't move.

"Eevee?" I asked.

"Tackle, now!" Brock commanded.

Onix obeyed and tamed into Eevee, sending her flying into a rock.

She struggled to get back up, but then collapsed.

Eevee was unconscious. We lost.

"Eevee is unable to battle." Flint announced. "Soren can no longer continue, so the battle goes to Brock."

I sighed and picked Eevee up off the ground. "I'm so sorry, Eevee." I said.

She smiled and shook her head. "Don't be. We gave it our all. It was my fear that got in the way."

I smiled back and stood up. "I know we lost, but we'll train hard, Brock. You can count on it."

He nodded. "Okay then. I'll be here tomorrow."

Flint stepped forward. "I'll help in any way I can."

"Thank you, Flint." I replied and started walking out with the others beside me.

For some reason though, I didn't hate the fact that I lost. I guess...I know that if I trained hard enough, I'll be able to beat Brock in the rematch.

**Aw man. Soren and Ash lost. They'll probably do better in the next chapter. **

**Just to let you know, gym chapters might only be two to three, depending on the situation. So...fair warning. **

**Anyway, hope u liked it. Don't forget to review. **


	10. Chapter 9

**hey guys. Its me, Ace. I've got a brand new chapter for ya. I really hope u like it. **

Chapter 9

(Ash)

"Aw man...that was tough." I muttered, waiting for Pikachu to be fully recovered.

"You're telling me." Soren agreed. "I immediately got whooped."

"Yeah...but you didn't have to forfeit." I snapped.

To my surprise, he wasn't offended. "I can understand why you did that, Ash." He said. "That happened to me once."

I looked at him. "Really?"

He nodded. "Yeah...but it...it costed a heavier price."

"I'm sorry."

He shrugged. "Don't worry about it, kid." He said and ruffled my hair.

Suddenly, the intercom sounded, making him jump.

"Soren, Ash, your Pokémon are all better now." Nurse joy said through the speakers.

"Okay." I called back.

"That's something I'll have to get used to." Soren muttered and pointed towards one of the speakers.

I chuckled. "You don't have a lot of technology where your from, did you?"

He shook his head. "No, but another country did." He reached his left arm out, and a long sword extended from the wrist.

"Wow!" I yelled in surprise. "How...?"

He shrugged. "I'm not sure, but this country we had to fight, they made all this. The gloves, my suit. They were more technically advanced than we were."

"How'd you win?" I asked.

He shrugged. "That's a Lucina question. She was there. I was captured by my own clone."

I laughed when the intercom sounded again.

"Uh...you two coming?" Joy asked.

"Yeah, we're coming." I said and walked towards the counter, where Pikachu and Eevee were waiting.

"How you doing, buddy?" I asked as Pikachu leapt onto my shoulder.

"Pika!" He said. I just laughed and petted him.

"How you doing, Eevee?" Soren asked her.

"Feeling better. Got a small headache, but it'll pass." She said and jumped back onto his shoulder.

"Good to see you guys up and running." Flint said, walking into the lobby.

I nodded, then hung my head sadly.

"You're still down after your guy's loss?" He asked.

"I'm not, actually." Soren admitted. "I just know that I just need to train harder."

Flint guffawed. "That's just the words I wanted to hear." He said and patted him on the back. "And I know the perfect thing for you two."

"Pikachu seems to be pretty powerful, kid. In fact, his power level far exceeds it's evolution stage." Flint explained to me as we walked towards Route three.

"So...wait a minute, Pikachu's power is equivalent to a Raichu's?" I asked.

He nodded. "When you fired the Thundershock, I noticed that it left a small mark. So it must've hurt him a little."

"Probably felt like a mosquito bite." Soren said.

Flint nodded. "Yessir. But, I can help you with improving Pikachu's power, or possibly teaching him a new move in the process. There's an old hydro power plant up ahead. I'll be able to hook up Pikachu to a machine that can help him harness the energy."

"Sweet. Let's do it." I said and started walking up ahead when he grabbed my shoulder.

"There is a setback though. Even though it helps Pikachu in battle, it may cause him to have a dangerous illness pretty quickly." He said.

I nodded. "I understand."

"What do is do, then?" Soren asked.

Flint let go of my shoulder and turned to him. "I'll admit, you had a great chance at beating Onix with Bulbasaur, but the little guy was a bit weak. You'll just need to battle some wild Pokémon to get him pumped."

"Okay, then what about Eevee?" He asked.

Flint scratched his chin. "Hmm. Has she...turned into Vaporeon yet?"

Soren shook his head. "No. Not-" he stopped himself and looked at him in confusion. "How do you know about Eevee's changes?"

"Your Eevee wasn't the only one to have that ability. There were numerous Eevee's that could do that." Flint explained. "How did you get this one, if you don't mind me asking."

"Professor Oak gave her to me." He said.

"Prof. Oak, huh? Figures." Flint chuckled. "He's always known to observe these kinds of things."

"Actually, no one really knew I had this ability since Viridian city." Eevee explained. "So far, the only people that know are Soren, Ash, Lucina, Misty, and yourself."

Flint nodded. "Hmm...what exactly caused you to transform?"

"Uh...a Voltorb's thunderbolt." She replied.

"So...all it takes is a thunderbolt, then you started turning into Jolteon." Flint said with a nod.

"We try not to do it too much. It wears her out immediately after transforming."

Flint scratched his chin. "Now why would that be? I've never heard of that happening."

"What are you talking about?" Eevee asked. "I'm...not supposed to wipe out?"

Flint shook his head. "No. Not unless...when were you born?"

"About...a couple of weeks ago. Why?" She replied, looking a bit nervous.

Flint snapped his fingers. "That's it. The power you received from Voltorb must've been too much. Since you're only a couple weeks old, that's what's causing you to wipeout so easily. I can help you control that."

She nodded. "Okay."

"Wait a minute." Soren interrupted. "Wouldn't Eevee's ability be considered cheating?"

Flint shrugged. "I'm not exactly sure, but I understand your concern."

Eevee nodded. "Me too. In fact, I might not challenge Brock next time."

We looked at her in surprise.

"I'm afraid of big Pokémon." She explained. "That's how I lost in the first place."

Flint shook his head. "I'm sure you'll be able to get over it, Eevee."

"I'll help you out." Soren said and turned to Flint. "I'm sure there at lots of Onix's out here, right?"

He nodded and pointed up towards a nearby cave. "If you walk up in there, there are bound to be numerous cave Pokémon."

Soren nods in understanding a and ran on in. "Thanks for the help, Flint."

"Glad I could help." He called after him and turned to me. "Let's get Pikachu all prepped."

"So...you're sure this rickity old hydro plant is going to help?" I asked as we entered what was left of it.

"It should be able to." Flint replied and started grabbing things from the tool kit. "I used to work up here before I became a gym leader myself. And I saw numerous of Pikachu use this thing before the people in charge shut it down."

I nodded. "So...how will this help Pikachu again? How do we get it to work?"

Flint pointed towards the waterwheel outside. "If you could stand on top of that waterwheel and spin it, it'll get this machine to work. I'll take care of the rest."

I nodded and climbed onto the wheel through the window, making sure I don't fall by gripping the rod above it.

"You all set?" Flint asked.

I gave him the thumbs up.

"Okay, start running. Then the machine will start working." He said.

I nodded and pushed on the ledge as hard as I could, starting to slowly move it. After a little while it started moving faster.

"Okay...keep it up." Flint said.

As the wheel started going faster, I tried to keep up as much as I could.

If this will help me beat Brock fair and square, then I'm willing to do this. I thought.

(Soren)

"This had to be a dark cave." I muttered as I started tripping over rocks.

"I'm not really a fan of the dark." Eevee agreed.

"Well, I'm not really afraid of it, it just brings back memories of Grima." I said.

"Grima?"

I nodded, trying to keep my balance. "Couple...years ago, I had to fight a giant dragon named Grima. He was bent on destroying our world."

"Who released him?" Eevee asked.

"Some dark wizard named Validar. Creepy guy. I'll tell you that."

"So...how'd you beat him? This Grima."

"I didn't, but...Robin did. I wasn't really there, but...Chrom, Lucina and Robin were still on Grima's back. I was knocked off." I said.

"So...how'd she do it then?" Eevee insisted.

I laughed. "Are you always this curious?"

"Aw, come on. This is interesting. I mean...I've never met a person from a different world before." She said.

I scoffed. "Good point." I muttered as I nearly tripped and almost fell off a ledge.

"Wow. Good thing I caught myself." I said.

"Right." Eevee agreed.

I managed to pull myself back on my feet and peered over the ledge, seeing nothing but water.

"All in all, I'm not so sure if landing in that water would be safe." I said and turned to leave when it started lighting up behind me.

"What in the...?" I wondered and wheeled around just to see the moonlight reflect off the water below, then started reflecting of these strange blue crystals along the walls around us.

"What...are those?" I asked.

"I'm not so sure, but they look amazing." Eevee said in awe.

I reached out towards one of the crystals, and it began glowing internally. As if it was alive.

"No...way." I said.

Suddenly, light dispersed from the crystal, and the back of my hands began to glow.

I watched as the light on my hands began to fade, and my eyes widened.

On the back of my hands...were the crystals, just neatly cut into a circle and magically glued onto my gauntlet.

"That...was...awesome." Eevee said.

I glanced at the giant crystal in front of me, then back to my gloves. "These have got to be some sort of...magic they have here."

I stepped back slowly, only to accidentally step on a tail, making a small, brown shrew screech at me.

"Whoops, sorry." I said and backed into a oddly shaped rock.

The shrew growled at me, then cowered behind a rock.

"What's up with that one?" I asked.

"Uh...I don't think it was us that scared her." Eevee said and tapped my shoulder, pointing towards the rock I was leaning on.

I glanced back and realized that it wasn't really a rock.

It was a wild Onix.

"Oh...CRUD!" I yelled and took off towards the cave entrance, grabbing the wild shrew Pokémon on the way as Onix started chasing us.

"You had to pick her up?" Eevee asked.

"Hey, it's either this, or being squashed by a giant Onix." I shot back.

"Good point."

Just as we jumped back out of the cave, Onix broke through, sending debris straight towards us.

"Get behind me!" I commanded and extended my shield, raising it to block the debris from hitting us.

Suddenly, the gem on my left hand glowed, and a wider force field emerged from the shield, blocking all the debris.

"Soren?" I heard Lucia behind me, staring at me in complete shock.

"Stay back! There's an Onix." I said.

Just as I said it, the giant Pokémon burst through the giant hole he made.

"I seriously need to see what moves this one knows." I said and activated my pokédex.

"Onix, the rock snake Pokémon. Onix can-"

"I already know, dang it! Just tell me his moves!" I said angrily.

"Current moves: Dig, Bind, and tackle."

"Thank you." I said and grabbed Bulbasaur's pokéball.

"Bring it, Bulbasaur!" I yelled and threw the pokéball.

It snapped open, and there stood Bulbasaur.

"Okay, Bulbasaur, use Razor leaf!" I commanded.

His bud glowed, and he fired a volley of sharp leaves at Onix, striking him all over.

"Nice shot." I said. "Now, use vine whip!"

Long vines extended from under Bulbasaur's bud, and whipped Onix a few times on the face. (Ouch.)

Suddenly, the shrew started tugging on my pants. Staring at me.

"I think...she wants to help us." Eevee said.

I looked at Eevee. "You understand her?"

"Of course I do. I am a Pokémon. I speak Pokémon and human." She said and softly wapped me with her tail.

"Okay, let's see what you are." I said and activated my pokédex.

"Sandshrew, the mouse Pokémon. It burrows and lives underground. If threatened, it curls itself up into a ball for protection. Sandshrew is a ground type Pokémon. Gender: female. Current moves: Dig, Scratch,

Defense curl, and Rollout."

"Not bad." I said. "And...sorry for stepping on your tail earlier."

Sandshrew just shrugged.

I turned to Eevee. "You want to help too?"

She looked at Onix in fear. "Uh...I'll wait."

"I understand." I said and turned to the battle.

"Bulbasaur, use Razor leaf! Sandshrew, use Rollout!" I commanded.

Bulbasaur fired another volley of leaves at Onix while Sandshrew ran towards him, curled up in a ball, and rammed Onix in the face.

"Great job guys." I said.

Onix shook off the pain and roared at us.

"No way am I going to have some roar scare me off." I said. "Bulbasaur, use Vine whip! Sandshrew, use Rollout again!"

Bulbasaur's vines reached out towards Onix and wrapped around his head while Sandshrew rolled back at him, striking him in the face again.

Onix growled with rage and jerked his head, pulling Bulbasaur into a rock, the he jerked it the other way and pulled Bulbasaur into Sandshrew, then another rock. Immediately knocking them out.

"Aw man!" I said and ran towards the two.

"You two were awesome." I said and returned Bulbasaur to his pokéball and carried Sandshrew.

"How am I supposed to beat this Pokémon?" I wondered.

Suddenly, Eevee jumped off my shoulder and braced herself.

"Eevee? I thought -"

"Forget my fear." She said. "Let's finish this."

I stared at her in awe, then nodded. "Okay then, use Swift!"

Eevee leapt up in the air and hurtled a volley if stars at Onix, hitting him all over.

"Nice one!" I said. "Now use Quick attack!"

Her body glowed, and she zoomed straight towards him, smacking him in the chest.

Onix shook off the pain and prepared to headbutt Eevee.

"He's about to tackle." I said. "Use quick attack to get out of the way!"

Eevee landed in front of me and zoomed out of the way as Onix rammed into a pile of debris.

"Alright, now hit him again with Swift!" I commanded.

Eevee leapt up in the air and hesitated for a bit when Onix roared at her.

"Don't give in, Eevee!" I said. "You said let's finish this, so let's do it! Together!"

Eevee was hesitant, but then immediately hurled the volley of stars at him.

"All right!" I cheered as she landed in front of me.

"Let's do this!" She said.

I nodded. "You said it. Use Quick attack one more time!"

Eevee glowed, and she dashed straight towards Onix, ramming him in the face, and completely knocking him out.

I procured a spare pokéball from my pocket and threw it. It tapped his face, absorbed him, then shook for a few seconds before clicking.

I got Onix.

Me and Eevee just stood there, panting.

"Eevee...you were...amazing!" I said.

She smiled and jumped in my arms, nuzzling me like crazy.

"Not bad, you two." Flint said, walking up to us with Ash, Lucina, and Misty following.

"Yep. I lost my fear, too." Eevee exclaimed.

"I can imagine. Especially after you helped Soren catch him." Lucina laughed.

I laughed. "Yeah, you, Bulbasaur, and Sandshrew here were a big help."

"We should get her to the Pokémon center." Flint suggested, looking over Sandshrew's condition.

I nodded and picked up the pokéball, but noticed that the button was glowing red.

"What's up with this?" I asked.

Flint looked at the ball and laughed. "Your teams full. You're only allowed to carry six Pokémon, so your pokéball is locked until you either hand it over to Oak, or send a different Pokémon to him instead."

"Why do you have to carry only six Pokémon?" Lucina asked. "Wouldn't it be better if he had his entire team?"

Flint shrugged. "Hey, I didn't make the rules, so I wouldn't know."

I chuckled and looked at the ball.

"I think it's be best if you sent in Metapod." Misty suggested.

"Oh, please. You only want that because of your insectphobia." Ash said and laughed as she hit him upside the head.

I chuckled. "She doesn't have much of an advantage, anyway. And neither does my Pikachu."

"True." Ash muttered.

I looked back at the ball, then made my decision.

"I think I know who I'll send." I said.

Later, with Ash's help, I was able to give Professor Oak a call.

I actually wanted to call anyway just to see how Chrom and the others were doing, but I still had some business.

The screen was blank for a bit, then Oaks face appeared on the screen.

"Ah, Soren, good to see you." He said. "How goes your travels?"

"Pretty good, Professor." I replied. "I've got two Pokémon I want you to take care of for me."

"Sure thing. Who do you want me to take?" He asked.

"Pikachu and Metapod." I said and procured their pokéballs from my belt.

"Sure thing, lad. Just place the pokéballs on that little platform beside the screen, and it'll zap them straight to me."

I nodded and put Pikachu's ball on the platform.

"Okay, all set." I told him.

"Okay then, pressed the red button on top of the machine." He instructed.

I pressed it, and the ball was absorbed into the machine.

"Got it, safe and sound." Oak said and showed me the ball.

"Great. Here comes Metapod." I said and put her ball on the platform and pressed the button. Like Pikachu's, the ball was immediately absorbed into the machine.

"Metapod received." Oak replied. "I'll take good care of them."

"Thanks." I said. "So...where's Chrom and the others?"

"Oh, well Robin and Coryn are at the new house resting for the night, Chrom's in here with me, Morgan and Nowi are downstairs."

"Oh. Well can I talk to Chrom?" I asked.

He nodded and turned to his right. "Soren's ready." He said and left.

Suddenly, Chrom's head appeared on the screen. "Hey. Long time no see." He said.

"You got that right." I laughed as Lucina hugged me from behind.

"So...how's the journey going? Haven't heard from you since Viridian." He wondered.

"Pretty good. I've decided to take on the gym battles, but I lost on the first try." I explained.

"That's pretty rough, but I'm sure you're training. Even though I have no idea how these people do it." Then he turned to his left. "No offense, Professor."

"None taken." I heard Oaks voice.

"So...did you guys hear about that incident at Viridian?" Lucina asked.

He nodded. "Yeah, I heard. It was something about a bunch of crooks attacking the Pokémon center. Don't know what that place is, but I'm sure it wasn't good."

I shook my head. "It wasn't. The group was called Team Rocket, and they have this goal of kidnapping other people's Pokémon."

"Why would they do that?" He asked.

"I'm not exactly sure, but I don't like it." I said.

He nodded. "I understand. If you run into them, let me know. Or this Officer Jenny."

"Who?"

"She's some sort of security officer. Kind of like the guards back home." He explained and shook his head. "I wonder how baby Lucy's doing."

"I'm sure she's fine, dad." Lucina assured him.

"I hope so." He said and yawned. "Anyway, I gotta go. Got to get some sleep for tomorrow."

I laughed and nodded. "Okay. Tell the others we said hi."

He smiled. "I will. See you later, and good luck."

"Thanks." I said, and the screen went black.

The intercom sounded. "Soren, your Pokémon are all better." Joy said.

"Thanks, I'm coming on over." I replied and stood up.

"Well, two if them are yours." Lucina muttered.

I laughed. "Yeah, but I did send Sandshrew here myself."

"Yeah, Good point." She muttered and laughed.

Once we got to the counter, I already saw Eevee and Sandshrew sitting beside the other two pokéballs.

"Hey guys. You feeling better?" I asked as I put the pokéballs on my belt.

Eevee immediately jumped on my shoulder and nuzzled my chin. "Never better. I'm totally ready to take on Brock."

I laughed and turned to Sandshrew. "Looks like you're free to go, Sandshrew. Thanks for your help earlier."

She looked at me with her black eyes and tugged my pants.

"What? What is it?" I asked.

"I think Sandshrew wants to come with you." Ash said.

I looked at him. "Wait, she does?"

He nodded. "Why wouldn't she? I think she got inspired by the way you cared about Eevee."

I looked to Sandshrew. "You want to come along, huh?" I asked.

She nodded.

"Okay then." I said and procured my last spare pokéball from my pocket. "Welcome aboard."

I tapped her head, and she was immediately absorbed and locked in.

I got Sandshrew.

"Looks like your team just got a whole lot bigger." Lucina said.

I nodded. "Yep, and now I'm ready to take on Brock."

"We both are." Ash said.

I grinned. "Then let's get some sleep. Tomorrow we'll challenge Brock to a rematch."

After a quick dinner, we immediately went to the hotel room and went to bed.

It's on. I thought as I tried to sleep. This time, we can't lose.

**well, what do you know...Soren got himself an Onix. And a Sandshrew. **

**Im pretty sure y'all can guess what those stones are on Soren's gauntlets now. I thought it'd be cool to add that to this chapter.**

**Ok, there seems to be some confusion about how Soren got Bulbasaur and Pikachu. Soren caught them at Viridian im not sure about Ash going beyond his anime character yet. for now ill have him catch the pokemon he gets in the anime...just until i can think of something. with some time...and help from my good friend Kyokotheeevee, ill see what i can do. thank you for your understanding**

**Anyway, I hope u liked this. And you can probably guess what's going on next. See ya, and don't forget to review. **


	11. Chapter 10

**hey, what's up guys? It's Ace with a brand new chapter for you. **

**Okay, this one was kinda hard to put together, but I did the best I could. Okay? Good. Glad I cleared it up. I'm not the best, but I try to be.**

**anyway, I hope u like it. **

Chapter 10

(Soren)

The next morning, we all got ourselves ready for the day and started heading out for the gym.

"You ready?" Ash asked me once the gym was in view.

I nodded. "You bet, kid."

He smiled. "Uh...I think...I'll go last this time. You can go first."

I looked at him in confusion. "You sure?"

He nodded. "Yeah. Go ahead."

I shrugged. "Okay, then. Guess I'm up."

When we walked in, we were already face to face with Brock himself.

"You're back." He exclaimed. "Well, then...who am I taking on first today?"

I stepped forward. "I'm up this time." I said.

He nodded. "Alrighty then, let's get started."

"This will be a two on two Pokémon battle between Brock, the gym leader, and Soren, the challenger." Flint announced. "The same rules are applied as of last night. Understood?"

Me and Brock nodded in unison.

"Alright then. Battle, begin!" He said.

"Geodude, let's go!" Brock said and threw his first pokéball.

"Bring it, Bulbasaur!" I yelled and threw mine.

Both Pokéballs snapped open, and Bulbasaur stood on my side while a small rock with fists stood on the other.

"I guess that's Geodude." I said and activated my pokédex.

"Geodude, the Rock Pokémon. Geodude are found in fields and mountains. Mistaking them for boulders, people often step or trip on them. Geodude is a Rock and Ground type Pokémon. Current moves: Tackle, Rollout, and Defense curl."

"Okay, so...I'm fighting a rock with fists." I muttered. "Let's do it, then. Bulbasaur, use Razor leaf!"

His bud glowed, and he fired a volley of leaves at Geodude, striking him all over and dealing tons of damage.

"Not bad." Brock said. "Now, Rollout!"

Geodude curled up into a ball, then started rolling up towards Bulbasaur.

"Dodge it and use Vine whip!" I commanded.

Bulbasaur jumped to his left and extended his vines on Geodude, completely wrapping his face.

"Nice one!" I said and recalled what happened yesterday with Onix. "Now swing Geodude around!"

Bulbasaur spun around, starting to drag the Rock Pokémon with him.

After a few seconds of being roughly dragged on the ground, Geodude started lifting up, making it easier for Bulbasaur to spin.

"Alright, now smack him into a rock!" I commanded.

Bulbasaur nodded and jerked his body backwards, causing Geodude to crash face first into a nearby rock, immediately knocking him out.

"Geodude is unable to battle!" Flint announced. "The winner of this round is Bulbasaur!"

"Nice job, Bulbasaur." I said.

I wasn't sure if he heard me, because he was wobbling around.

"I guess I'll return you for now, bud." I laughed and grabbed his pokéball, recalling him.

I turned to Eevee. "You ready?" I asked.

She nodded. "If I can beat a wild Onix, then I'm sure to win." She said and leapt into the battlefield.

"Alright then, you're having Eevee up again." Brock said and threw his last pokéball. "Onix, let's go!"

The ball snapped open, and there stood Onix.

"Oh boy." I said. "Here we go."

"We got this." Eevee assured me and braced herself.

"Looks like your Eevee isn't afraid of Onix anymore." Brock assumed. "You guys must've been training hard."

I shrugged. "What can I say? I've trained since I was a little kid. So show me what you got!"

"Music to my ears. Onix, Tackle!" He yelled.

"Hold your ground, Eevee. Wait till I give the signal." I commanded.

She nodded and readied herself as Onix started charging towards us.

Wait for it...wait for it. I thought as Onix got closer.

As soon as Onix was right on top of us, I was ready.

"Eevee, use Quick attack, now!" I commanded.

Her body glowed, and she immediately flashed out of the way just in time for Onix to miss by a long shot.

"Now hit him!" I said.

Eevee quickly stopped and wheeled around, smacking Onix in the face.

"Alright!" I cheered. "Now use Swift before he can get up!"

Eevee jumped up in the air and hurled her stars at the giant Pokémon, striking him all over.

"Great shot, Eevee." I said. "Now use Tackle!"

"You too, Onix!" Brock yelled.

Both Pokémon started charging towards each other, ready to see who'll get knocked out.

"Eevee, use Quick attack!"

Her body immediately flashed, and she quickly jumped onto a rock and ricochet right into Onix face.

"Nice job!" I cheered.

"Onix, now use Bind!" Brock yelled.

"Uh oh! Eevee, dodge it, quick!" I said.

Before Eevee could move, Onix wrapped her around with his rock snake body and began to squeeze.

"Eevee!" I yelled. "Try to break out! Come on!"

She struggled for a bit, but the Bind was too strong, so she went limp.

Eevee was knocked out.

"Eevee is unable to battle. Onix wins this round." Flint announced.

"Eevee!" I yelled as I ran up to her and picked her up off the ground. "You okay?"

Her eyes fluttered and slowly opened. "Looks like I lost." She groaned.

"Hey, you were great." I assured her. "You can take a good rest."

She smiled as I walked over to Lucina.

"Let's cheer him on." She said as I laid Eevee on her lap.

I smiled and ran back to the trainers square.

"Just because Eevee's out doesn't mean I'm done, Brock. I'm just getting started." I said and threw Bulbasaur's pokéball. "Bring it, Bulbasaur."

The ball snapped open, and there he stood.

"Alright Bulbasaur. Use Razor leaf, let's go!" I commanded.

His bud glowed, and he fired a volley of sharp leaves at Onix.

"Dodge it and use Bind!" Brock yelled.

"Roll to your left!" I said.

Just as Bulbasaur was done using Razor leaf, he quickly rolled to the side just in time for Onix to miss.

"Nice. Now use Tackle!" I commanded.

He quickly jumped to his feet and rammed into Onix on the side of the face.

"Nice one." I cheered. "Use Vine whip!"

Bulbasaur extended his vines and wrapped them around Onix's head, dealing some damage.

"Move your head around!" Brock yelled.

Onix obeyed and jerked his head to one side, causing him to pull Bulbasaur.

"Adjust yourself so your back won't hit the rocks." I said.

Bulbasaur obeyed and jumped off the rock he was about to get thrown into.

"Awesome. Now use Razor leaf again!" I commanded.

Bulbasaur loosed his vines and fired razor leaf on Onix, taking him completely surprised.

"We got this now!" I said.

Bulbasaur grinned and nodded as Onix angrily got back up and roared.

"Now Onix, use Bind!" Brock yelled.

Before I could react, Onix wrapped his body around Bulbasaur and began to squeeze.

"Bulbasaur!" I yelled.

Suddenly, I saw a faint light through the small cracks of the rocks.

"Is...Bulbasaur...evolving?" I wondered.

Then, out of nowhere, small white orbs shot out of Bulbasaur's bud and hit Onix multiple times in the face, making him loosen his grip and drop Bulbasaur.

"You didn't evolve?" I asked. He just shook his head.

I glanced at my pokédex and saw that instead of evolving, Bulbasaur learned Bullet seed.

"You learned a new move." I said. "Alright then, use Bullet seed again!"

Bulbasaur aimed his bud at the surprised Onix and fired.

All the seeds struck Onix on the face, leaving him with barely any life left.

"Alright, now finish him off with Razor leaf!" I said.

Bulbasaur's bud glowed, and he fired one last volley of leaves at Onix, striking him all over.

I thought he was instantly going to collapse...but instead he wobbled and fell on a pile of rocks. Unconscious.

"Onix...is unable to battle." Flint stammered. "Brock is no longer able to continue." He then pointed to me. "The boulder badge goes to Soren!"

I laughed in disbelief. I've actually won. I won my first gym badge.

"Bulbasaur, you were awesome." I said as he and Eevee tackled me in a hug, knocking me off my feet.

"Okay, guys. You can get off now." I laughed and jumped back on my feet just as Brock and his father walked up to me.

"Nice job, Soren." Brock said, holding a tray with a small, boulder shaped badge. "I award you the Boulder badge."

I nodded and took the badge just as Flint handed me a small back and blue case.

"For your badges." He explained.

I grinned and glanced at my badge.

"That's how we get things done!" I said. "I just got the Boulder badge!"

Eevee and Bulbasaur cheered beside me as Lucina tackled me in a hug.

"Well done, Soren." She said.

"Thanks." I replied and looked over to Ash. "Good luck, Ash. Looks like you're up."

He grinned and nodded, walking up to the trainers square as me and Lucina sat on the bench.

Good luck kid. I thought.

(Ash)

I have to say, Soren surprised me with that strategy he used against Onix.

Now it's my turn.

"Okay Pidgeotto, I choose you!" I yelled and threw his pokéball.

"Geodude, come on!" Brock yelled.

Both pokéballs snapped open, and there stood Brock's punchy rock while I had Pidgeotto on my side.

"Battle, begin!" Flint yelled.

"Pidgeotto, use Quick attack, let's go!" I yelled.

"Geodude, Rollout!" Brock commanded.

Just as Pidgeotto dashed towards Geodude, the little rock Pokémon curled up in a ball and rolled towards him, smacking him in the underbelly.

"Aw man, use Gust!" I commanded.

"Rollout again!" Brock yelled.

Instead of uncurling himself, he kept on rolling towards Pidgeotto (despite almost getting blown away) and rammed him in the underbelly again, completely knocking him out.

"Pidgeotto!" I yelled.

"Pidgeotto is unable to continue." Flint announced. "Geodude wins this round."

I grumbled and returned Pidgeotto. "You were great. You take a good long rest." I said and turned to Pikachu. "You ready?"

He nodded and leapt into the battlefield.

"Okay Pikachu, use Thunderbolt, let's go!" I commanded.

Pikachu charged himself, and he fired a super powerful thunderbolt at Geodude, immediately scorching him and knocking him out.

"Wow." Me and Flint said in unison.

"Uh, Geodude is unable to battle. Pikachu wins this round." Flint announced.

Brock was pretty surprised himself as he returned Geodude to his pokéball.

"That was...something." He admitted. "But let's see if he'll stand against Onix!"

He threw his last pokéball, and there stood his Onix.

Oh boy. I thought.

"Okay, Pikachu, use thunderbolt, let's go!" I commanded.

Pikachu once again charged up and fired a strong lightning bolt, but instead of going towards Onix, it went a different direction and blew apart a nearby rock.

"What the...?" I wondered.

"Now Onix, use Bind!" Brock yelled.

"Pikachu, dodge it!" I commanded.

Before Pikachu could react, Onix wrapped his rock hard body around him and started squeezing.

"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt again!" I yelled.

Pikachu fired another bolt, and almost hit Onix, but it missed.

"Take it easy on Pikachu, Onix!" Brock commanded to my surprise.

"You may have to call it off again, Ash. Pikachu can't take any more."

I looked at Pikachu and realized that Brock was right. With Onix crushing him and his uncontrollable Thunderbolt, he might not last long this battle.

I nodded. "I guess your-"

Suddenly, a nearby pipe caught on fire, and the emergency sprinkler system went off all over Onix, making him writhe with pain and collapse.

Well, that was new. I thought.

"Okay, Pikachu. Thundershock, let's go!" I commanded.

Pikachu charged himself up and fired a straight shot towards Onix, severely shocking him due to being all wet.

"Nice one." I said.

"Onix! Come on, get up!" Brock said desperately.

"Okay, let's finish him-" I was about to order another Thundershock, but seeing Onix all battered up like that stopped me.

I shook my head. "What am I doing?" I asked myself.

I looked over to Soren and recalled how he beat Brock fair and square. I would only win by luck.

"Pikachu, come on back. We're done here." I said.

"Wait, you're giving up?" Flint asked.

"This victory was a fluke. I wanted to win fair and square like Soren." I told him as Pikachu jumped back on my shoulder.

As I turned to leave, I noticed that the others started to follow.

I'll come back fully prepared. I know I will.

Later that day, me and the others were waiting for our Pokémon to heal when Brock and Flint ran through the door.

"I thought you'd be here." Flint said.

"Look, I told you, that wasn't a real win." I snapped.

Brock grinned and shook his head, procuring something small from his pocket.

"Look Ash, I know you wanted to win a fair fight. I know you did. But...sometimes just winning doesn't really matter." He said.

I looked at him in confusion. "What do you mean."

"When you stopped yourself from finishing off Onix, I saw how much you truly cared about Pokémon. You and Soren." He explained and opened his palm, revealing the boulder badge. "You deserve this."

I looked at the badge, then pushed his hand away. "I can't."

"You should take it, Ash." Soren said as he walked up beside me. "I'm in full agreement with Brock."

"Me too." Lucina admitted and smiled.

"You actually gave it your all." Misty muttered.

I smiled and laughed. "Well, if it makes you guys happy." I said and took the badge and the badge case from Flint.

"And, if you want...I'll come with you." Brock suggested.

"Wait, you can do that?" Soren asked.

He nodded. "I...I actually never had the interest in becoming a trainer. I wanted to be a Pokémon breeder instead."

"We'll leave the gym battles to me and Forrest, Brock's younger brother." Flint said.

"Hey, strength in numbers, right?" Soren asked.

"Makes sense." Lucina laughed.

I nodded. "I guess it would make the journey a bit more fun with more people." I said.

Brock smiled. "Thanks, Ash."

"Now, if you're looking for another challenge, there's a gym in Cerulean city. Why not try that out?" Flint suggested.

"Cerulean?" Misty yelled in surprise. "You sure there's no other...place?"

We all look at her in confusion.

"What's wrong with that city?" Lucina asked.

"Oh...uh...nothing, nothing. It's all good. Yeah. Let's go to Cerulean city." She said with a surprisingly upbeat mood.

"Uh...ok then. Let's head out." Soren said and started walking out the door with Eevee hopping on his shoulder.

"I'm with him." Lucina agreed and started to follow.

I just laughed. Looks like I've got a team. I thought and started to follow with Misty and my new friend: Brock.

"Oh wait, Soren." Flint called. "I forgot to mention something."  
"What?" I asked.  
"Well, there's something you should know about Eevee." He said. "When there's an Eevee that can talk...and transform...usually there's a bunch of older siblings that...just talk. They can evolve normally, but...yeah. Just had to let you know."  
I nodded. "Thanks for all your help, Flint." I said.  
He shrugged. "Happy to."

"So, what Pokémon do you have, Brock?" I asked as we walked through route 3. "Besides Onix and Geodude of course."

Brock procured a third pokéball from his belt. "I got a Zubat once on my travels once, but I never really got a chance to train him. I'm hoping to change that as we travel."

"If that's true, then you think you can help train my Onix?" Soren asked.

Brock shrugged. "Sure. I'll see what I can do."

"Okay then. I could use some help anyways." Soren replied as we came across a sign.

"Cerulean city ahead." Soren read aloud.

"Looks like we're on the right track." Lucina assumed.

"By the way, who's this Gary?" Brock wondered.

"That's my rival. Why?" I asked.

"Well, there seems to me a note left by him." He said and pointed to a small written note on the bottom right corner.

"Gary was here...Ash is a loser." Soren read aloud.

"Oh! He did not!" I yelled and looked at the note. Sure enough...it was there.

"Uh...am I missing something?" Brock asked.

I didn't want to answer. Instead, I just grabbed the straps to my backpack and took off angrily.

I'll get that guy if that's the last thing I do. I told myself.

I was too angry to even notice the others were busy laughing about my sudden outburst. Oh well.

**well...that was unexpected. Ash running off like that. Almost made me laugh. Wouldn't you just want to just high tail straight towards the next city to find the person that wrote that letter? I would. **

**But anyway, Ash and Soren won their first badge, and Brock joins them. (Sadly, no croagunk. Not yet.)**

**think I forgot that one part with Flint explaining the other Eevee's. At least we may have something to look forward to. **

**like I said before. I just try to do the best I can. If you want me to do something, just ask And I'll see what I can do. With a little help From some good friends of mine. (Kyokotheeevee, eevee4life, and some others.)**

**Anyway, I hope u liked it. Don't forget to review. **


	12. Chapter 11

**hey, what's up guys? It's Ace with another chapter for ya. Hope u like it. **

Chapter 11

(Soren)

"Ash, can we please stop running?" Brock asked. "We're all pretty tired."

Ash looked back and saw the rest of us panting like crazy.

"You know...for a ten year old kid...you run fast." Lucina panted.

I just laughed. "You said it."

Ash just rubbed his head. "My bad. Guess I got too carried away."

"Ya think?" Misty snapped.

I just laughed and checked the sky. "It's getting dark pretty soon." I said. "We should probably make camp for the night."

"I'm agreeing with that." Lucina muttered. "Not to mention that I am pretty hungry."

I nodded. "I'll see if there's anything to eat."

Brock shook his head. "No need for that, my friend. You're looking at the best chef of Pewter city."

"You can cook?" Ash asked.

The former gym leader nodded. "Yep. I learned how to when I was at least eight years old."

"Well, then. Let's see what you can do, master chef." Lucina teased.

Brock just laughed. "You'll see."

"Okay, while Brock cooks us some food, the rest of us should make camp." I said. "I'll get a fire started and help with the tents when I'm done. Got it?"

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Alright then. I'll be right back." I said and started heading towards the woods.

"Make sure the branches are actually on the ground." Brock called. "That's how you know when they're dead or not."

I gave him a thumbs up and continued my search.

"Okay Eevee, if you could evolve into one of your evolution forms, what would it be?" I asked as we looked for dead branches.

"Uh...well as far as I know, I've only transformed into one of them." She replied.

I shrugged. "True. Forgot."

Eevee laughed and shook her head. "Were you always like this?"

"What do you mean?" I asked as I sent Pidgey to go find some branches.

"Like a laid back person. Likes to joke sometimes, that kind." She explained.

"Eh. Sometimes." I replied and laughed. "Well, I've been like this since...since I joined the shepherds."

"Really?"

I nodded. "Yeah. At first I was a little serious. Didn't joke around too much, but then...after my mentor was killed...I just took a different direction. Of course, after a painful night of grief and stuff."

Eevee just giggled. "I know what you mean."

I smiled as Pidgey came back with a talon full of dead branches.

"Looks like you had better luck than we did, Pidgey. Great job." I said as I took them.

Pidgey nodded as I returned her to her ball.

"Let's head back." Eevee suggested.

I nodded and started walking back the way we came.

"Wow, that's a lot." Lucina said as I walked back towards the camp with an armful of branches.

"We didn't find this. Pidgey did." Eevee said as I started making a tepee.

"Quite a scout you have then." Brock laughed and began passing out bowls of soup.

I scoffed. "Yeah, bird Pokémon are good at that is bet." I admitted while having Charmander start the fire with his Ember.

"Some birds are actually pretty tough in battle." Ash admitted.

I laughed and started chowing down on the soup. It actually tasted pretty good.

"Wow! Not bad." Lucina said. "You make a better cook than Frederick."

I almost spewed soup. Everyone else just looked at us in confusion.

"Who's Frederick?" Misty asked.

"He's a good friend of ours." I explained. "Known as Frederick the wary by Lucina's father."

"Where's he?" Brock asked.

"He's helping Professor Oak at Pallet town." Lucina said. "Along with my mother, Soren's sister, and...two other good friends."

I smiled and continued eating.

"So...I forget. How did you two meet?" Misty asked.

I got the feeling that she didn't truly forget, but felt that Brock should know who me and Lucina are anyway.

"Well, it's a little hard to explain." I said and put the bowl down beside the log I was sitting on. "Two years ago, I uh...I had an accident. My mentor didn't make it out and my sister was kidnapped."

"Oh. I'm sorry." Brock said.

"It's fine. I...I miss him now and then, but...yeah, it was hard." I assured him and started telling them about my adventures as a shepherd. How Lucina came from a dark future, Grima, even Morgan and Coryn.

"So you're saying...your kids came from a different future?" Brock asked in amazement.

I nodded. "Hard to believe. I know. Especially if it's about a whole new world you never knew existed."

"Don't your friends...miss you?" Misty asked.

"We're not sure if they know we're gone yet." Lucina said. "They may think that we're on some family trip or something."

"Now Soren...did you have any friends before...the Plegians came?" Brock asked.

I nodded. "I had a few. A friendly shopkeeper, some boys down the alley from where I lived...Emma."

"Emma?" Lucina wondered.

"She was more like a sister. Kinda like Nowi, but she...she was a pretty good friend."

"What happened to her?" Misty asked.

I shrugged. "I don't really know. When the Plegians attacked, she just...she just disappeared."

"Was she kidnapped too?" Lucina wondered.

I shook my head. "No. After the Plegian war, when you left, we cleared out all the slave camps. She wasn't there. She was just...gone. I spent the next two years looking for her."

"I'm sorry." Brock said sadly.

I shook my head. "It was my fault."

"Are you ever going to stop blaming yourself?" Lucina laughed. "That was beyond your control."

I smiled. "You know it's what I'm known for." I said and wrapped my arm behind her neck, letting her rest her head on my shoulder.

"We should get some sleep." Brock suggested, and started crawling into his sleeping bag.

"I'm with you, Brock." Ash said and climbed into his own sleeping bag.

Once they were sound asleep, me and Lucina decided to put out the campfire and head to the tent and fall asleep ourselves.

While I slept, I started seeing...fire.

It wasn't like fire in a war. For some reason, I could smell the flames in my dreams.

What's going on? I wondered.

Then I started hearing screams, swords clashing against one another.

This could only mean one thing.

It was a raid.

I wanted to see what was going on, so I started walking through the burning village.

After turning through a corner, a saw a man and a women running right past me in fear. The women was carrying a bundle of blankets close to her. It was a baby.

"Come on! We've got to get him somewhere safe." The man said.

"What else is there?" The women asked.

"I know someone. He'll be able to-"

"What? Protect your precious son? No! His pain is just beginning!" A voice screeched, immediately waking me with a start.

I was panting like crazy, trying to control myself so I wouldn't wake anyone.

"What...what was that?" I asked myself and glanced at the time on my gauntlet.

It's only five. In two hours we'll start heading out. I thought and left the tent.

I needed some air. After seeing something like that must've scared me beyond sleep, I could use a little walk.

I decided just to walk around the woods and try to clear my head.

"What was that about?" I wondered and took off the glove covering my mark. It was glowing, but it was a little faint.

"Could that have something to do with me?" I asked.

"You okay?" A voice said behind me, making me jump and wheel around just to see Lucina.

"Oh, hey Lucina." I said. "I'm...I'm doing alright."

"You're not if you're so jumpy." She giggled. "What's wrong?"

I shrugged. "I'm not entirely sure. Just some nightmare."

"Do you...want to talk about it?" She asked.

I shook my head. "It hasn't come clear to me yet. All I know is that there's a burning village."

"Premonition, maybe?"

I shook my head again. "I'm not entirely sure. But once I find out, I'll let you know."

She smiled. "Okay then."

We heard some chatter coming from the camp.

"Looks like the others are awake." I said.

Lucina nodded. "Yep. Let's help take down camp and head on over to Cerulean city."

"Okay. Come on." I said, and we both start walking back towards camp.

(Meanwhile, at an unknown location)

"Sir, there's a message for you." A voice said through Giovanni's phone.

"Does he require it to be private?" He asked.

"Yes sir."

"Send it to my office. And make sure no one bothers me." He ordered.

"Understood, sir." The voice acknowledged, and hung up.

Giovanni then pressed a button on his desk, making his room darken as the dark crystal slowly rose from the ground and began to envelope itself with dark clouds.

"How goes our little operation, Giovanni?" The voice from before asked.

"Slowly, milord." Giovanni replied. "We've already revealed ourselves to him, but he has fought them off at least twice now."

"Good. You remember what I taught you." The voice laughed evilly.

"Sadly, he does have allies. My commander reported a young woman with a sword, a boy with a super powerful Pikachu, and a ginger haired girl."

"They mean nothing." His master snarled. "They can be dealt with."

Giovanni nodded in agreement. "I understand."

"What about your secret weapon? How is that coming along?" The voice asked.

"Very slowly. It appears that the DNA we're harvesting...it's very difficult for the moment."

"Good. We don't want it to reveal itself to him now. We can wait."

Giovanni nodded. "Yes. We can wait."

"In the meantime, I want you to find out more about this...Eevee that travels with the boy. If what I think is true...it can be dangerous to our little organization."

"Will do, milord." Giovanni replied.

The clouds began to fade, and the stone sank back into the floor.

Once the crystal was covered, Giovanni lit up his room and called his administrator.

"Get me Archer. I have a new mission for him." He ordered.

"Will do, Giovanni." She replied and hung up.

If I'm correct, the boy is already heading over to Cerulean city. How about we pay him a little visit. He thought.

**ho...looks like there's something going on with mr. Giovanni and his mysterious master. **

**Oh, and in case you're wondering, Emma is actually a character for Kyokotheeevee. We're actually starting to work together on this one, and will continue to do so as the series progress's. **

**And another thing: Soren will most likely be like the game counterpart to Ash. If not, I could add the characters from the adventures manga. Not really sure yet, but I'll find out soon. Maybe just yellow, but I don't know. **

**Anyway, hope u liked it. Don't forget to review. **


	13. Chapter 12

**hey all. This is Ace with a brand new chapter for ya. Hope you like it. **

**Now, this one was actually a bit tricky. With the gym battle and Team rocket, so I did the best I could on this one. And thanks to Kyokotheeevee, I was able to finish. (Thanks again, Kyoko)**

Chapter 12

(Soren)

"Hey, look! There it is!" Ash exclaimed, pointing to the large city up ahead. "Cerulean city."

"Wow. It's actually a bit bigger than I thought." I admitted.

"That's true." Misty agreed. "Not to mention the gym leaders."

"There's more than one?" Lucina asked.

The red haired girl nodded. "Yeah...but they're not really interested in being gym leaders."

"So...who is the gym leader?" I asked.

"Uh...you'll have to see for yourself." She said. "Speaking of which, I gotta get something at the Pokémon center." She said and took off down the street.

"Yeah, she's definitely hiding something." Lucina muttered.

"Well, before we head on over to the gym, I gotta run a few errands myself." I said and started walking towards the Pokémart with Lucina.

"So...what exactly do you need?" Lucina asked.

"I used my last pokéball on Sandshrew. I'm running over to the shop to get some more."

"After that?"

I shrugged. "Probably give Professor Oak a call and switch in some Pokémon. Just in case the gym here has a type disadvantage against one of them."

"Good call." She admitted. "Who do you have in mind?"

"Well, I'm not sure yet. But I'll bring back Pikachu." I said.

"Hey, that works." Eevee agreed. "But it might get confusing with Ash's though."

I shrugged. "Come on. Two people can have the same Pokémon, right?"

"True." She muttered.

Me and Lucina start laughing and continued walking towards the Pokémon mart.

After grabbing what I needed at the store, we ran to the Pokémon center and gave Oak a call.

"So...what can I do for you?" He asked once we filled him in.

"I'm sending in Onix for Pikachu." I said. "Just in case."

"Okay then. I'll grab Pikachu, then we can exchange." He said and was about to take off when he made a noise, like he remembered something.

"I almost forgot. While he was here, Pikachu learned Quick attack while playing with Metapod. Just to let you know." He exclaimed and walked off, when Nowi and Robin appeared in the screen.

"Hey! What's up?" I asked happily.

Robin shrugged. "Nothing much. You doing okay? Where are you now?"

"We're at Cerulean city." Lucina said. "It's actually pretty neat up here."

Robin nodded. "I'd bet. Now, Chrom said you won your first badge. Nice."

"Thanks, Robin." I laughed. "We're on our way to get my second one with Ash."

"Ash? The kid with the Pikachu?" Nowi asked.

I nodded. "Yep. That's him."

"He sounds like a great kid." Robin admitted.

I shrugged. "Yeah, he's great. Brave kid."

Robin smiled, then glanced to the side. "Oak's here. Good luck on your battle."

"Thanks, Robin." I replied and put Onix's pokéball on the tray as Oak reappeared on the screen.

"You ready?" He asked.

I nodded. "Let's do it." I said and pressed the button, making the pokéballs switch.

"I got him, safe and sound." I said, picking it up.

"Same here. Good luck." Oak said. "And...it's actually normal if your Pokémon learn a move or two while your apart, so don't worry."

I nodded. "Got it. Thanks, Professor." I said and hung up.

I took Pikachu's pokéball and attached it to my belt.

"Let's head over to the gym." Lucina said.

I nodded. "Right."

After walking through town, asking for directions to the gym, we eventually found it in the town square.

"Looks like there's a show going on." Lucina said and pointed to a small paper pinned to the side of the entrance.

I glanced to where she was pointing and saw the outline.

"Cerulean city's Sensational sisters." I read aloud. "I guess they're the gym leaders Misty mentioned."

"Looks like it." Eevee agreed.

Suddenly, the glass door slid open, and a huge crowd of people came piling out of the gym.

"It's over?" Lucina wondered.

I shrugged. "Let's go find out." I said and started brushing past the crowd.

Once we got to the room where the battlefield was supposed to be, I was surprised to see a massive pool instead of a rocky battlefield like Brock's gym.

"So...I guess this is a water type gym." Lucina said.

I nodded. "Good thing I got Pikachu."

"Oh, hello. Can we help you?" A voice asked behind us, making us wheel around to see three ladies standing beside each other.

"Uh...we're looking for the gym leader." I said.

The three girls exchanged glances. "I guess that makes you another challenger today." The blue haired girl said.

"Wait, someone else came?" Lucina asked.

"Yeah, some kid with a hat." The pink haired girl said and glanced over her shoulder. "Where is he anyway?"

"Said he was going to pick his Pokémon." The blue haired girl replied and shrugged. "He must really want the badge."

"What's wrong with that?" I demanded.

"Well, you see...we've been beaten by like five trainers already. One of them was from Johto." The blond haired girl explained. "And all we have now is Goldeen, so it wouldn't really be a good fight."

"If only our younger sister didn't just take off on us." The blue haired girl muttered and pointed to herself. "I'm Violet, by the way." She then pointed to the other two. "And these are my sisters, Daisy and Lily."

I nodded. "Nice to meet you."

"So wait...there's four of you?" Lucina asked.

Lily nodded. "Yeah, but...we had a little argument and she took off. We haven't seen her for...a while now, actually."

"Yep. Took her Staryu and Starmie, then left." Violet said, sadly.

"If she was here, she'd probably give you a good gym battle." Daisy said.

I hung my head. "Man. That's rough." I said.

Suddenly, Ash came running in with two pokéballs in his hand. "I'm ready." He announced and noticed us. "What's with the long faces?"

"They didn't tell you, huh?" I guessed. "They only have one Pokémon."

"That must mean that they really wanted me home after all." A familiar voice said.

From the hallway, Misty came running in, leaving us with our jaws dropped.

"You're...you're the gym leader?" I asked.

She nodded. "Yep. Sorry I didn't tell you." She said and rubbed her head, laughing nervously.

"You little..." Lucina laughed. "I knew you were hiding something."

I shook my head. "I'm definitely going first." I said.

Ash held up his hands. "Hey, that's fine with me."

Misty just shrugged. "I'm in too. Let's see what you got, Soren."

I grinned. "Bring it."

After the sensational sisters got me and Misty in the middle if the pool by platform, along with two there's for the Pokémon, we were ready to go.

"This is a battle between Soren the challenger, and Misty, the gym leader. It will be a two on two Pokémon battle. Only the challenger is allowed to switch out Pokémon." Lily announced. "Understood?"

Me and Misty nodded.

"Okay then. Let the battle begin!" Lily shouted.

I procured my first pokéball and threw it. "Bring it, Pikachu!" I said.

"Staryu, let's go!" Misty yelled and threw her first pokéball.

Both snapped open, and there stood Bulbasaur in my side, while Misty had the star with a gem in the center on her side.

"You go first, Soren!" Misty said.

"Gladly." I replied. "Pikachu, use Thundershock!"

Pikachu charged himself up and fired a small bolt of lightning at Staryu.

"Dodge and use swift!" Misty commanded.

Right when the lightning bolt was about to hit Staryu, it immediately jumped into the water, jumped out and fired a volley of stars.

"Jump out of the way and use Thundershock again!" I commanded.

Pikachu jumped to his left, barely missing the stars and fired another lightning bolt, this time hitting Staryu and causing serious amount of damage.

"Awesome! Nice job." I said. "Now use Quick attack!"

Pikachu's body glowed, and he zoomed straight towards Staryu and smacked into it, knocking it out.

"Nice one!" I said.

"Staryu is unable to continue. Pikachu is the victor of this round!" Lily announced.

Misty returned her Pokémon to its pokéball. "Great job, Staryu. You take a good long rest." She said and procured her last pokéball. "You do realize that was a test, right?"

I grinned. "Maybe."

She smiled. "Well, just to let you know, this Pokémon won't go easy on you." She said and threw the pokéball. "Go, Starmie!"

The ball snapped open, and there stood another star, but this one had an extra star and a bigger gem.

"That's a new one." I muttered and activated my pokédex.

"Starmie. The mysterious Pokémon. And the evolved form of Staryu. Its central core glows with the seven colors of the rainbow. Some people value the core as a gem. Starmie is a water and Psychic type Pokémon. Current moves: Swift, rapid spin, and water gun."

"Wow, that's a lot of moves." I whistled. "Pikachu, let's be careful."

He nodded and braced himself.

"Okay then, Thundershock!" I commanded.

Pikachu charged himself and fired another small bolt of lightning.

"Dodge it with rapid spin!" Misty said.

Right when the bolt was about to hit Starmie, it flew out of the way and spun straight towards Pikachu, smacking him around with his spinning body, knocking him into the water.

"Pikachu, jump out and use Thundershock!" I commanded.

Pikachu started swimming towards the platform and fired another Thundershock, just to miss again.

Man, this Starmie's fast. I thought. "Use Quick attack!"

Pikachu's body glowed, and he zoomed straight towards Starmie, ramming into it with full force.

"Awesome! Now use Thindershock!" I commanded.

"Fight back with Swift!" Misty said.

Starmie leapt in the air and started spinning it's starry body, firing a bunch of stars at Pikachu as he let loose a bolt of lightning.

The bolt collided with one of the stars, making it explode.

That didn't stop the other stars from hitting Pikachu, immediately knocking him out.

"No!" I yelled.

"Pikachu cannot continue." Lily announced. "Starmie is the victor of this round."

I returned Pikachu to his pokéball. "Great job, Pikachu. You rest easy." I said and clipped the ball to my belt, grabbing the other.

"Bring it, Bulbasaur!" I yelled and threw my last ball.

The ball snapped open, and there stood Bulbasaur.

"Okay, let's start this off with Bullet seed!" I commanded.

"Use swift again, Starmie!" Misty said.

Both Pokémon fired their moves, making the seeds and stars collide.

"Okay, we stopped that." I said. "Now try Vine whip!"

Bulbasaur extended his vines and whipped Starmie a few times before accidentally wrapping one around the star.

"Aw no!" I said.

"Water gun, Starmie!" Misty commanded.

"Try to deflect with Razor leaf!" I yelled.

Bulbasaur began launching his sharp leaves as Starmie shot out a powerful stream of water, knocking the leaves away and dousing Bulbasaur. It did a huge amount of damage despite being a weaker type than him.

"Bulbasaur! Hang in there!" I yelled.

Bulbasaur looked as if he was about to fall over, but then began to glow Aqua blue.

Bulbasaur was evolving.

The bud on his back opened, revealing a bud of a red flower as the light dispersed from his body.

"Ivy!" He yelled.

"Alright!" I cheered and checked my pokédex.

"Ivysaur. The seed Pokémon, and the evolved form of Bulbasaur. There is a plant bulb on its back. When it absorbs nutrients, the bulb is said to blossom into a large flower."

"Alright then. Let's see what you can do." I said. "Use Razor leaf!"

Instead of just launching the leaf straight on, Ivysaur spun the leaves around on his back, making the Razor leaf fly more faster than it could before.

"Knock them away with Water gun!" Misty commanded.

Starmie spun around it's back star, shooting out another stream of water, only to be cut through by the razor leaf and struck it hard.

"Nice! Now slide under it and give it a taste of your Bullet seed!" I commanded.

Ivysaur obeyed, quickly running under Starmie and releasing the seeds from his bud.

"Nice one." I said. "Now finish it off with tackle!"

Ivysaur jumped up in the air and rammed into Starmie, dealing tons of damage and knocking it out.

"Starmie is unable to continue. Ivysaur wins! So that means the Cascade badge goes to the challenger!" Lily announced.

"Alright, Ivysaur!" I cheered as he ran up and tackled me, knocking us into the water.

"Ivysaur..." I grumbled and quickly swam to the edge of the pool, where the sensational sisters were waiting with the badge.

"Nice job, Soren. As the sensational sisters and gym leaders, we award you the Cascade badge." Violet said, holding the tray with the badge that was shaped like a rain drop.

"Alright then." I said and took the badge. "That's how we get things done!"

Eevee jumped on my shoulder and nuzzled my cheek as Lucina out her hand on my shoulder.

"Nice job." She said.

I smiled. "Thanks, Lucina." I replied and turned to Ash. "Looks like your up, kid."

He nodded and walked to the edge of the pool as Misty moved the platform over to it.

Suddenly, something pounded on the wall behind us, making us a bit worried. It almost sounded like an explosion.

"What was that?" I asked and pulled the baton out of my pocket. I glanced over my shoulder and saw Lucina grab the hilt of her sword.

Then, out of nowhere, the wall exploded right in front of me, knocking me off my feet and sent Eevee flying into the pool.

"Eevee!" I yelled and turned to Ivysaur. "Use vine whip and get her out of there!"

He nodded and extended his vines, reaching into the water as a Marowak knocked him aside with its bone club.

"What the...hey!" I yelled and pulled Charmander's ball, only to get punched in the gut. Hard.

"Well, well, well. Long time, no see, Soren." Archer sneered as I doubled over in pain.

"What...what are you doing here?" I demanded.

He shrugged. "Oh...nothing. Just the face that I was given orders to slow you down...painfully."

I grabbed my baton, making the blade magically grow from the tip as I tried to swing at him, only to get it knocked out of my hand by the Marowak.

"You think you can take us down with just a sword? Come on...I thought that accident in Viridian taught you a lesson." He scolded and kicked me in the face.

"What accident?" I asked, rubbing my jaw.

"Oh...the fact that you have an Eevee that can transform and all, and the fact that your friend there has a pretty powerful Pikachu."

"You leave him out of this!" I snapped.

He grinned evilly. "How about...no."

I tackled him, pushing him towards the pool when he elbowed me in the chest.

"Pathetic." He sneered. "And you're supposed to be some hero."

"Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" Ash suddenly commanded, giving him a good bolt of lightning to the back.

I turned to Ash and nodded as I pulled a pokéball off my belt.

"Mareep, Thundershock!" A voice yelled behind me, then another bolt of lightning shot right past my ear and struck Archer, sending him flying into the pool.

I wheeled around to see a yellow fluffy sheep with a glowing ball on its tail, and a short haired girl standing behind it.

As she walked closer, her face began to come clearer until she was right in front of me.

It was Emma.

"E-Emma?" I asked.

She smiled. "Hey there, Soren."

I couldn't believe it. My best friend, who I thought was dead for all these years, was standing right in front of me with a Pokémon of her own.

Suddenly, she pushed me aside as Archer was thrown out of the water...by a dog like fish.

"How's it feel now?" She asked. "I couldn't hear you after all that underwater yelling."

I immediately recognized that voice.

"Eevee?" I asked.

She looked at me and grinned. "You guessed it."

Her body enveloped itself with water, and she was back in her regular form.

Well what do you know? She's controlling her changes.

We all stared at Archer as he got up, rubbing his side and yelped he saw that he was surrounded.

"You mess with Soren, you mess with me, jerk!" Emma yelled and threw pokéball. It snapped open, and there stood a long, black and yellow mouse with the top of his head and his rear exploding with fire.

Archer stepped back. "A Quilava! That means...you're from Johto."

"Yeah, so what?" She demanded.

Lucina leaned over to my ear. "This is Emma?"

I shrugged and nodded. "Same way the last time I saw her." I laughed and stepped forward, sending out Charmander.

"You'd better give up now. Your outnumbered and outmatched." I said.

He looked at me in disgust. "You think I'm one to easily give up, just because you got saved by your girlfriend?"

"Okay, one...Emma's not my girlfriend. Two...you shouldn't have challenged me like that." I said and nodded towards Eevee, who quickly transformed herself into Jolteon and fired a thunderbolt at him, sending him flying out of the giant hole he made.

He got up, rubbing the dirt off his shirt. "You're so going to regret this." He said and ran off.

Emma scoffed. "Him and what army?" She said and returned her Pokémon.

As we helped clean up most of the rubble around the gym, I walked up to Emma in complete shock. "Emma...you're alive?" I asked.

"Of course I am, Soren. You know me well enough." She laughed and tackled me in a tight hug.

"It's so good to see you again." I said.

"It sure is. How's Nowi?" She asked.

I shrugged. "Pretty good. She's working with Professor Oak."

She looked at me in surprise. "She's here too? Who else?"

I shrugged. "Ah...well...you know, Chrom, Robin, Morgan, Coryn..." I pointed to Lucina. "And Lucina."

Emma waved her hands. "Wow, wait...Chrom? The prince of Ylisse is here?"

I nodded. "Yeah, he's here."

She laughed. "I can't believe it. He...you know him now?"

"Yep. He's...basically a close friend now. Him and his wife and all." I admitted.

She looked at me in confusion. "Wait...Chrom's married?"

I nodded.

"Wow, you seriously missed a lot." Lucina laughed, walking up to us.

"Yeah, I know." Emma retorted. "So you're..."

"I'm Chrom's daughter." Lucina explained. "And I'm Soren's girlfriend."

Emma looked at me in surprise. "Wow, wait...what? You're going out with Chrom's daughter?"

I shrugged. "Yeah, she saved my life like...more times than I could remember."

Emma stared at is for a while, then shrugged. "Well, what can I say? You two look good together anyways."

The three of us laughed. It feels like forever since the last time I saw her.

(Ash)

"Well, this is going to take a while to repair." Lily muttered as the rest of us tried to clean up.

"So much for the gym battle." I said.

"Yeah, well after that...Starmie and Staryu don't have any energy left. Especially after that battle against Soren." Misty said.

"I'm actually in agreement." Violet said as Misty got the Cascade badge.

"Ash, how about we just give you the badge." She suggested and held it up.

I looked at it, then shook my head. "Without a battle?"

"Ash, you defended the gym with your friends. That's good enough for me." Misty said. "But I think in the future, you should actually battle upcoming gym leaders for it. Let's just make this an exception."

I stared at the badge for a second, then threw my arms in the air. "Hopefully next time, Team Rocket doesn't come by again." I said and took the badge.

"Oh, don't worry. I've already called Officer Jenny. She has all units scouring every town for Team Rocket. It'll be awhile before they decide to show their ugly mugs again." Emma said.

"You've dealt with them?" Soren asked.

She shook her head. "No, but I know an evil gang when I see one. Especially if they just blew up a nice looking gym."

"So, where will you go?" Soren asked her.

"Well, I was about to go ahead to Vermilion city, but then this happens." She replied. "I heard the gym leader over there is pretty tough."

"Never knew you'd be interested in this kind of thing, Emma." Her old friend replied.

She shrugged. "Hey, I wasn't at first, but then this Professor Elm in Johto kinda got me interested too."

"That explains why you have the Quilava." I said.

She nodded. "Yep. He's my...what do you call it again?"

"Starter Pokémon." Soren and I said in unison and laughed.

She nodded. "Right. I keep forgetting that."

"Well then, let's head on over to Vermilion." Soren said.

"Hey, I'm in." I said and turned to the others. "Who else is coming?"

"I volunteer." Misty said. "I could use some training myself."

"I'm already in, so don't even think of excluding me." Lucina said.

"Hey, I was going to go alone, but I guess I'll travel with you guys for a bit." Emma said.

"Yeah, because we're going with your old friend." I said and started walking out the door just to meet the confused Brock.

"What happened? Is everything alright?" He asked.

"Yeah, everything's good." Soren assured him. "We had a bad run in with someone."

He sighed with relief. "I gotta say, after hearing that explosion, everyone was on complete edge. I couldn't fight past the crowd to get here in time."

"Don't worry. It's all good." Soren said. "We were able to fight the guy off."

Brock took a deep breath, then sighed. "So...I take it you guys got the badge?"

I nodded. "Yep. We got it."

"Sweet. So...where to next?" He asked.

"We're going to Vermilion city." Soren told him.

"Alright. Let's get going, then." He said.

Just as we were about to leave, Lily tapped Misty's shoulder.

"Misty...listen. We're sorry for uh...what we said. It was rough on you after that loss you had, and we totally should have looked the other way." She said.

Misty just waved it off. "It's okay. That guy was a complete jerk anyways." She said and started following us. "But I still want to make myself stronger." She yelled back to them as she followed.

The three sisters nodded and waved goodbye as we left.

Looks like our group just got bigger. I thought as we walked towards Route five.

**man, can't this Archer guy just leave Soren alone? He reminds me of Jesse, James and Meowth, but also has that pure one personality. **

**But, to the good news. Bulbasaur evolved, Eevee's now able to turn into a Vaporeon and has no problems now, and...Kyoko's character, Emma, is now in the mix. **

**I wonder who this trainer was that beat Misty? Hmmm...any guess's?**

**now..let's get down to seriousness. I've been flamed five times, so I want you all to understand something. Yes, I may be having Ash follow his anime self, but made him a little serious, and I will have him get the Pokémon he gets in the show. So don't be like "are you serious? Why did you do this...yada yada yada." Another thing, this is my story. So...if you have something against what I put (in a hurtful way), then keep it to yourself, or just give a friendly suggestion. Please. I'm trying to make it great. It's not my best, but I am trying. So please try to bear with me. Thank you. **

**Anyway, hope u liked it, and don't forget to review. (Nicely)**


	14. Chapter 13

**hey, what's up guys? Here's a brand new chapter for ya. **

Chapter 13

(Soren)

"So...what exactly happened after I disappeared?" Emma asked as we set up camp.

Lucina looked at her in confusion. "Disappeared?"

She nodded. "Yeah, when those brigands attacked Southtown, I ended up in this world. This Professor Elm guy helped me recover and actually told me about this Pokémon training business, so I came down here to start off." She explained.

"Well...there's not much to say." I said. "But uh...Byron was killed."

She looked at me in shock. "Oh...Soren. I'm so sorry."

I shook my head. "It's fine. I...I got over it. I miss him now and then, but...I don't let it bug me. Almost got me killed numerous times."

"The first time was actually Gangrel's fault." Lucina said.

"Wow, wait. Gangrel? The Plegian king?" Emma asked.

Me and Lucina nodded in unison, then we explained everything that had happened. Emmeryns death and mysterious revival, Grima and Robin, Lucina and her companions, and our future children.

"So, wait...you and Lucina had your own kids travel back in time to save you from...Grima?"

I shook my head. "Not exactly. They wanted to save me from...something bigger."

"Who could be worse than Grima? He's the fell dragon." She said.

"That's what I said." Lucina muttered. "But after running into Team Rocket at Viridian city, Soren here thinks that there's something worse."

Emma shrugged. "I can imagine. After what happened yesterday at the gym...I can pretty much agree to that."

Lucina nodded. "I'm starting to get that feeling too. I mean...it's been three years after you disappeared, then we end up in a world we never knew existed."

"Not only that, but the mark on my hand is glowing." I said and took off my gauntlet, revealing the weird emblem on my hand.

"And it hasn't done this before?" She asked and glanced at it.

I shook my head. "Not until we ended up on Pokéarth."

Emma looked at me in confusion. "Did...Byron ever tell you about it?"

I shook my head again. "I'm sure he was about to, but he died when those Plegians showed up."

Emma nods in understanding, then pulled a pokéball off her belt, releasing her starter Pokémon to start the campfire.

"So...who'd you start with?" I asked.

"Cyndaquil." She replied and returned Quilava to his pokéball. "He evolved right after I beat the Cerulean city gym."

"What about the other one?" Lucina asked. "The sheep."

"Oh, Mareep? I got her on the way to Kanto. She's quite the sweetheart, that one." She explained and turned to us. "What Pokémon do you have?"

Lucina held her hands up. "I'm not a trainer. I thought I might get in the way."

"Get in the way? Come on, Lucina." I retorted. "I told you a million times. If you become a trainer or not, you won't get in the way. We got this far, right?"

She shrugged. "True."

I shook my head, laughing as I pulled the five pokéballs off my belt.

"Me on the other hand, I have a transforming Eevee, and these guys." I said and sent them out.

Ivysaur, Charmander, Sandshrew, Pikachu, and Pidgey stood beside each other as Emma checked them out on her pokédex.

"Quite a team you got here." She said.

"Thanks." I replied.

"Now, aren't Ivysaur and Charmander one of the starters?" She asked as she put the pokédex in her pocket.

I nodded. "Yeah, I started with Charmander and Eevee, then I found Ivysaur in Viridian forest."

"Ivy!" He said in agreement.

Emma laughed and petted him. "Do you have any other Pokémon?"

"I got an Onix, but he's over at Professor Oaks lab." I said and returned the five to their pokéballs. "Hopefully, we'll find some Pokémon on the way to Vermilion."

"Well, you're in luck then." Brock said in a hushed voice. "Come on. Ash found something."

The three of us exchanged glanced and started following Brock as he led us through a small field of bushes, just to find a lone horse with a...fiery mane?

"What Pokémon is that?" I asked and activated my pokédex.

"Ponyta, the fire horse Pokémon. As a newborn, it can barely stand. However, through galloping, its legs are made tougher and faster. Can be used for land travel. Ponyta is a Fire type Pokémon. Gender: female. Current moves: Tackle, Ember, and Flame wheel."

"Well, who knew? They really do have flaming horses." Emma muttered.

"There is a problem, though." Brock said. "That Ponyta looks like she's in a lot of pain from that saddle. It looks like it was strapped too tight."

I nodded. "I'll take care of it." I said and slowly stood up so that I wouldn't startle it.

At first, Ponyta noticed me and started backing away in fear, but then I held up my hand and slowly walked towards her.

"It's okay...I'm not going to hurt you." I assured her as I got closer. "I just want to loosen the strap on that saddle."

She stepped a but further, but then stopped as I gently rubbed her muzzle and walked beside her.

Once I saw the strap, I was immediately horrified. Whoever owned this Pokémon obviously didn't care if she starved to death because it hurts to eat.

"Whoever did this to you is seriously going to pay." I said angrily, and stated loosening the strap.

Suddenly, a green vine smacked my hands, surprising me enough to not se the razor leaf as it cut my shoulder.

"What the..." I demanded and looked to where the vine whip came from, just to see another Bulbasaur.

Before I could react, he flat out tackled me in the chest, sending me flying into a tree.

"Bulb! Bulba!" He shouted to the Ponyta, demanding her to run.

"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!" Ash suddenly yelled.

Just as Bulbasaur was about to flee, Pikachu tried firing a bolt of lightning, but ended up zapping me instead.

"Ash!" Lucina yelled.

"Sorry. My bad, but Pikachu was aiming for the Bulbasaur." He said.

Shook off the electricity and held on to the wound on my shoulder. "Come on." I said. "We need to go after them."

"Soren, that Pokémon doesn't take us to kindly." Brock protested.

"I don't care. He attacked me, so I'm going to clear things up."

"That's the Soren I know." Emma laughed. "Always trying to clear a misunderstanding."

"That's something we can agree on." Lucina laughed.

I scoffed. "Come on. They went this way." I said and ran through the trees, just to find a long, rickity rope bridge that didn't look very stable.

"How the...there's no way both a Ponyta and a Bulbasaur could cross this. Especially with the gorge." I said.

"Maybe they went a different direction." Misty suggested.

"A different direction? Misty, there's no other way to go." Lucina said.

She shrugged. "I don't know, it's possible."

"Look, let's just see where this bridge leads." I said and slowly started walking across with the others following.

"Think we'll make it across?" Eevee asked.

"Let's not think about that please." I said nervously.

Suddenly, the bridge twisted itself, and I quickly grabbed the wooden boards, grabbing Lucina's arm while she grabbed Emma's.

"Whew. Thanks!" She yelled.

"Don't mention it, Emma." Lucina replied.

I looked over to see Ash and Misty hanging on for dear life. But where was Brock?

"Did you guys see Brock?" I asked.

Misty shook her head.

"I saw him fall into the water!" Ash yelled.

Aw crud. I thought and turned to Eevee. "You think you can transform into Vaporeon and try to find him?"

She looked down at the raging river and looked at me worriedly. "Uh...I'm not so sure."

"It's okay. You'll be a water type, so it won't hurt you as you swim." I assured her.

She looked at me with worry, then jumped off my shoulder, enveloping herself in water, transforming into Vaporeon as she hit the water.

Good luck, girl. I thought as I looked over to the other side.

"Emma, we're going to have to swing you. You gotta good grip?" I asked.

"I've been able to hold on this long, right?" She replied jokingly.

I laughed. Just like old times. I thought and started swinging my arm, giving Lucina and Emma enough momentum to reach the bridge.

Once Emma got hold of one of the beams, I grabbed Ivysaurs pokéball and threw it as hard as I could over to the other side of the gorge.

Luckily, it made it over and snapped open.

"Ivysaur, I need you to use vine whip to help us out." I said.

He nodded and extended his vines towards Emma, wrapping around her waist.

"Okay, Ivysaur, now pull her onto the cliff." I said. "Then go for Lucina."

Ivysaur obeyed and grabbed Emma around the waist and pulled her onto the his side of the gorge, then grabbed Lucina, myself, Misty, then Ash and pulled us individually.

"Thanks a lot, Ivysaur." I said and returned him to his pokéball.

"Okay, I'm definitely going to try to get a Pokémon with vines." Emma said.

"They're pretty reliable." I replied. "Now let's go find that Bulbasaur."

After a few minutes walking through a thick forest, I could almost tell there was something off.

"We haven't really found anything." Misty complained. "Let's just head back."

"What about Brock? He might've ended up on this side of the gorge." Ash said.

"Guys, quiet for a second." I hissed. "I thought I heard something."

We waited as I slowly stepped forward, just for the ground to give away, making me fall into a well dug hole.

"Soren!" Lucina yelled and tried to run towards me, but then got herself and the others caught in a net.

"Okay...what the heck?" I demanded and pulled Ivysaur's pokéball off my belt.

"Nice job, Lucina." Misty muttered.

"Hey, they're called traps for a reason. You don't see them coming." She shot back.

"Okay, then how do we get out of this?" Ash asked.

"Just hang on." I said. "I'll climb up, then I'll cut you down."

"You might have to." Lucina said. "My sword fell."

I shook my head and started climbing the wall of the hole, just to see Eevee and Brock.

"Need a lift?" He asked, and pulled me up before I could answer.

"Thanks." I replied and extended the blade on my gauntlet and cut the others down.

"So, what happened to you?" Lucina asked as she sheathed her sword.

"Well, after Eevee found me and got me to shore, we ended up at some Pokémon shelter run by the Bulbasaur." He explained.

"It wasn't just the Bulbasaur." Eevee muttered.

I looked at her. "What do you mean?" I asked.

She shrugged. "Let's just say there was also some girl running the place too."

"Eevee!" Brock retorted, blushing. "Anyway, she was actually the one that put these traps all over the place so that trainers won't bug any of the Pokémon here."

"That's why Bulbasaur attacked me." I said.

Brock nodded. "Right, so she said that we could travel through here, but I had to promise that we wouldn't catch any of the Pokémon."

"What'd you do? Seal it with a kiss?" Misty giggled.

"Oh, very funny." Brock retorted.

"Was the Ponyta there?" I asked.

He nodded. "Yeah, but it seemed to recognize me and Eevee, so it was actually wondering what happened to you."

"Here's what I don't get:" Emma said. "If it's a shelter, why can't we just like ask to adopt a Pokémon?"

"Well, these Pokémon weren't really treated well by their trainers." Brock said. "So...Melanie's pretty wary of trainers."

That makes sense. I thought.

"Can we go there?" I asked.

He shrugs. "Sure, but I don't think that Bulbasaur will take too kindly to you."

"Well, Soren has an Ivysaur, so maybe they could work it out." Lucina suggested.

"That's actually a good idea, it is pretty smart to listen to a Pokémon that has had some experience with a trainer." Emma agreed.

I nodded. "Then let's go."

Once we got to the shelter, I was dumbstruck after seeing all these abandoned Pokémon. I didn't realize it right away, but I suddenly developed a deep hatred towards trainers who would treat their partners so poorly.

"So, where's this Melanie?" Emma asked, bumping Brock playfully.

"Oh knock it off, guys." He said and pointed to the girl tending to the leaves of a walking plant.

"Hey, Melanie! These are the friends I told you about." Brock called over.

She looked up from what she was doing and shooed the Pokémon away.

"Hey there. Welcome to the shelter." She said.

I nodded. "Thanks for-"

I suddenly got rammed in the side by Bulbasaur, sending me sprawling.

Bulbasaur readied himself in case I moved, but then Ash stepped in between.

"Enough, Bulbasaur!" He snapped. "Can't you see that Soren only wants to help?!"

Bulbasaur yelled at him, then took off.

"Okay, what is with that Bulbasaur?" Lucina asked as she helped me get back on my feet. "There's something he has against him."

"Bulbasaur's...pretty headstrong, but he's got a good heart towards other Pokémon." Melanie explained. "And let's just say...his trainer wasn't really as good to him than the way these Pokémon were abandoned."

"Aw man...no wonder he attacked us." Ash said sadly.

I scowled. "What kind of person would just abandon their Pokémon like they're...possessions?" I demanded.

"There are trainers that do that." Misty muttered.

Melanie nodded. "Right. So he doesn't really take too kindly to trainers anymore. Not unless they can prove that they've raised their Pokémon well."

Suddenly, I felt something bump my back. I wheeled around and saw Ponyta standing there.

"Hey there. You look better." I said and rubbed her muzzle.

"There wasn't anything wrong with this Pokémon after Bulbasaur brought her in." Melanie explained and rubbed her side. "Apparently, it wanted to thank you for loosening the strap on her saddle."

"Do people really ride them?" Emma asked.

The head of the shelter nodded. "Yep. Usually just for travel though."

"Sweet." I replied and noticed that the saddle was missing. "Where'd the saddle go?"

"I threw it away. Apparently, the original trainer to her didn't bother to make it more comfortable, and never took it off when he or she was told to by anyone."

"How do you know that?" Ash asked.

She shrugged. "Let's just say that I can easily understand Pokémon."

I nodded. "That's pretty-"

Suddenly, an explosion erupted behind us.

"Oh no. There's another trainer." Melanie said and ran towards the ruckus.

"We should go too." Ash said.

We all nodded in agreement and ran after Melanie.

(Ash)

"Ah, man! Get off of me!" A voice yelled as we got closer to the ruckus.

Once we got to the clearing, we saw Bulbasaur tugging the shirt sleeve of a trainer with some cowboy like vest.

"Who the heck are you?" Soren demanded.

"Oh, bug off!" The guy shot back, knocking Bulbasaur back and standing up in a hurry. "I'm looking for my Pokémon."

"Well, you might not have much luck here. What ever Pokémon around these parts are wild." Melanie said.

"Oh, zip it!" He snapped. "I'm looking for...Ponyta?"

I wheeled around and saw the horse hiding behind Soren in fear.

"What the heck do you think you're doing here? You pathetic Pokémon!" He yelled and pulled a horse whip from his pocket, ready to strike when I angrily stepped in the way, grabbed the whip, and pulled it out of his hand.

"That's enough!" I snapped and threw the whip away. "This Pokémon wants nothing to do with you."

"Out of the way, twerp!" He said and shoved me out of the way. "This doesn't concern you."

"Actually, it does." Soren shot back. Eevee was already growling at him.

"So what? You going to challenge me?" The guy demanded.

Soren nodded, scowling. "You bet I am. And if I win, you're leaving this Pokémon alone."

"Like that'll happen." The guy said arrogantly and pulled a pokéball off his belt. "I'll just go against you with one Pokémon."

"That's fine." Soren said. "But before we battle, I don't think I caught your name."

"It's Damien. Now shut it and let's get this battle started." He snapped.

As Damien walked over to his spot, I tugged Soren's jacket.

"Are you sure you don't want me to battle this guy?" I asked.

He smiled. "He won't really put up a real fight, Ash. He's all talk." He said and stepped over to his spot.

"Eevee, let's go." He said, and his partner jumped off his shoulder and braced herself.

"Charmander, let's go." Damien says, unexcited as he threw the pokéball.

The ball snapped open, and there stood Charmander.

"Let's see what you can do, Eevee." Soren said. "Use Quick attack!"

"Ember!" Damien commanded.

Charmander took a deep breath and blew a small wind of embers as Eevee zoomed right next to him, dodging his attack, and rammed into him.

"Get it together, Charmander!" Damien said. "Ember again!"

"Swift!" Soren commanded.

Both Pokémon used their moves, but the embers weren't strong enogh to push back Eevee's attack, causing the stars to strike him and knock him out.

"What?! No!" Damien yelled in anger as he returned Charmander to his pokéball. "You useless Pokémon. You wanted me to lose, didn't you?"

"No! Charmander had nothing to do with this." Soren said. "The only one at fault is you."

Damien glared at him, then angrily waved him off. "Whatever. Who needs a pathetic Pokémon like a Ponyta anyway?" He sneered and walked off. "Good for nothing-"

Before he could finish, Soren had Eevee use thunderbolt on him, immediately scaring him off.

"Told you he was all talk." Soren said as Eevee jumped back onto his shoulder.

"That...was...awesome." Emma said. "You showed him."

He laughed and petted Eevee on the head, only to get bumped by Ponyta.

"Guess you like getting pet too, huh Ember?" He asked as he rubbed her muzzle.

"Ember?" Lucina asked.

He shrugged. "Come on. It suits her."

I laughed. "Looks like you two got closer already."

Soren smiled. "Yeah, I guess so."

"Well, let's head back to the shelter." Melanie said.

As we started walking back, I noticed that Bulbasaur was actually walking beside me with a complete calm attitude.

"Is it just me, or does Bulbasaur like us?" I asked.

Everyone looked to see what I was talking about, and Melanie starts to laugh.

"Well whaddaya know?" She said. "I guess Bulbasaur wants to go with you."

I looked at her in surprise. "Me? But what about Soren? He's the one that defended Ponyta."

"Yeah, but you did too. Remember?" He asked. "You jumped in the way when Damien was about to use his whip."

I shrugged. "True...but if I took Bulbasaur, you'd lose your best defense." I said.

She shook her head, smiling. "It's okay. Bulbasaur needs time to grow, and he won't be able to from here. I think it's best that he went with you."

I looked at Bulbasaur and smiled. "You want to come along?"

He nodded as I pulled a spare pokéball off by belt.

"Alright then. Welcome to the group." I said and tossed the ball. It tapped his head and absorbed him, shook a few times, then clicked.

Bulbasaur was caught.

"You'll train him well, Ash." Soren said, patting me on the back as Ponyta bumped him.

"Guess you want to come along too, huh?" He asked and pulled a pokéball off his own belt.

"You won't need that kind of ball." Melanie said. "I've got something better."

"A travel ball? I've never heard of that." Soren said as Melanie showed him a pokéball designed like the world.

"It's not common, but it's designed to where you don't have to worry about sending Ponyta to Professor Oak." She explained. "Now sadly, she won't be able to battle, but she can still fight in case you get into trouble."

Soren sighed and took the ball.

"Oh, and another thing. I gave Ember a better saddle, so it won't matter if its still on. It's supposed to be super comfortable."

Soren shrugged. "As long as she's happy." He muttered and tapped the travel ball on Embers forehead. The ball absorbed her, shook a few times, then clicked.

Soren got Ponyta.

"Alright, Ember. Welcome to the group." He said and clipped the ball to his belt.

"Well, best if luck to you guys." She said.

We nodded. "Thanks a lot, Melanie." Soren said, and we started heading towards Vermillion city.

**alright then. Ash got his Bulbasaur, and Soren's got a Ponyta from Damien. (He sound familiar?)**

**the beginning of the chapter may be boring to most, but you need to understand that it was for Soren and Emma needed some catching up to do. **

**And do realize, Emma is Kyokotheeevee's character, so be sure to give her some credit too. Thanks for reading, and Don't forget to review. **


	15. Chapter 14

**hey guys. It's Ace with a new chapter for you. Hope you enjoy. **

Chapter 14

(Soren)

The next ten days were pretty rough for us after we left the shelter.

"I can't believe it. We've been traveling for ten days, and we end up getting lost." Misty grumbled. "I think we should go back the way we came and try to reroute from there."

"There's actually no reroute, Misty." Lucina said. "That was actually the right way to go. There should be a Pokémon center just passed that bluff."

"Sounds good." Emma muttered. "I could actually use a bed right now."

We all laughed and started walking ahead when Brock pointed to something on Misty's back.

"Hey, uh...Misty? I think there's a bug on your back." He said.

Misty wheeled around, frantically trying to get the bug off her back, but the only thing that fell off was a leaf.

"Oh. Whoops. It was a leaf." Brock laughed.

Misty wasn't amused, so she smacked him upside the head.

"Look, let's try to be sure we don't kill each other before we get to Vermillion." Lucina said.

"Wouldn't think of it." Emma agreed.

I rolled my eyes, smiling at all the humor this group brings when I noticed a shadow creep along the road as we got closer.

I looked up, and at first I was blinded by the sun, but then my vision got clearer and I saw a Charmander sitting on a rock right in front of us.

"What's a Charmander doing here?" Ash wondered.

Eevee jumped off my shoulder and slowly walked towards Charmander, but the small lizard growled at her as she got closer.

"Soren...this is Damien's Charmander." She said.

I looked at her. "You're serious?"

Suddenly, Charmander managed to stand up and blasted my face with ember.

"Yep. That's him." I said.

"Why would Damien's Charmander just sit here?" Misty asked. "Shouldn't he be with his trainer?"

"Maybe he abandoned him like he did with Ember back at the shelter." Ash said. "We should get him to the Pokémon center, though. His tail doesn't look good."

He was right. Instead of the fire being bursting with energy, it was only getting smaller.

"Ash, why don't you catch him?" I suggested. "Then we'll get him to the center."

He nodded and tossed a spare pokéball.

It absorbed him easily, but then he immediately popped back out.

"Why won't he let himself get caught?" I wondered.

Eevee asked Charmander the same thing. "We're just trying to help you." She told him.

He barked at her a few times, then she noddedand turned to us. "He's saying that Damien promised to return, so that's why he's not leaving."

"Well, I'm not so sure if Damien will really keep his word." I muttered. "Look what he did to Ember."

She shrugged. "All in all, he's pretty loyal to Damien."

Good point. I thought.

"Well, we can't just leave him here." Lucina said. "What if Damien doesn't come back?"

"We'll make him come back." I said and turned to Eevee. "Can you ask him where Damien went?"

She nodded and asked Charmander.

Again, Charmander replied with some barks.

"He says that Damien was here about two hours ago. So he's bound to be at the Pokémon center." She clarified.

I nodded. "Okay. Let's go get him." I said as she jumped on my shoulder.

"Don't worry, Charmander. We'll have Damien come back." Brock promised as we ran through the road towards the Pokémon center.

As we ran, I glanced up towards the sky and saw dark clouds forming.

Hopefully it doesn't rain. I thought. Then Charmander's in trouble.

Unfortunately, It started raining as soon as we got to the Pokémon center.

"Man, I was hoping this wouldn't happen." I said as Eevee shook off the rain.

"All we have to do is find Damien." Emma said.

"Well, I guess this is our lucky day then." Lucina said and pointed to the couch in front of us. Damien was sitting in the middle, getting crowded by a bunch of trainers.

"Man you got a lot of Pokémon." One trainer said.

"Yeah, so what?" Damien snapped. "There's more where this came from."

"What'd you do with your other two Pokémon?" Another trainer asked.

"Oh, the Ponyta? I just left it at some Pokémon shelter. And the Charmander? Please. After it lost to that trainer with the Eevee, I no longer had any use of him, so I left him on the rock."

"I knew it." Lucina muttered.

"Aren't you going back to get him?" A trainer asked.

He shook his head. "What, and let myself catch a cold from that rain? Heh. Not on your life. That Charmander's in his own."

As soon as he said that, I let my anger get the best of me. I jumped over the couch and grabbed him by the shirt.

"Remember me?" I asked.

He gulped. "You're...you're the-"

"Yeah, that's me. Now in case you haven't noticed, that flame on Charmander's tail is on the verge of going out, and all you care about is how all high and mighty you are." I snarled and shoved him. "Well here's what's going to happen: you're going back there, and you're going to get Charmander."

He spat. "You think I'm that dumb? There ain't no way I'm going out there."

"You listen, buster!" Eevee growled. "You're no trainer. You're just a thug."

That enraged him. "You're quite a smart mouth for an Eevee." He snapped and slapped her in the face, knocking her off my shoulder.

"Eevee!" I said and checked her as Brock grabbed his shirt.

"You're going to pay for that." Ash said and pulled a pokéball off his belt. He was about to throw it, but then Nurse Joy cut in between us.

"Enough, all of you!" She yelled. "Now tell me what's going on!"

Damien pointed at me, snarling. "That punk over there tried to steal my Pokémon." He said.

"Oh, that's so not true." Emma shot back. "Nurse Joy, Damien left a Charmander out in the rain. We're trying to have him go get it, but he solemnly refuses to."

Joy turned to him. "Is this true?"

He stared at all of us in disgust, then shook his head. "Say all you want. I ain't getting that pathetic Pokémon." He said and walked out. "I've got better things to do." He snapped as the door shut behind him.

"Man, what a jerk." Eevee muttered as I checked the side of her face.

The wound wasn't bad, but it stung as I tried to touch it.

"It'll hurt for a while." I said as she tried to climb on my shoulder.

"I think what we need to worry about is Charmander." Ash said.

I nodded and turned to Joy. "We'll go get him and bring him back." I said.

She nodded. "Right."

We quickly grabbed some rain ponchos and ran back towards the rock.

"Hang in there, Charmander." Ash said.

Once we got to the rock, we immediately had to take action once we saw a group of Spearow attacking the little guy.

"Knock it off!" Ash yelled and grabbed a rock and threw it at them.

It scared off a few of them, but the others start attacking us instead. Me and Brock ripped off our ponchos and scared them off.

"Soren, have Eevee use thunderbolt." Lucina suggested.

Brock shook his head. "Not after getting slapped like that. Her aim might be off." He said and put his poncho over Charmander. "Let's get him to the Pokémon center."

"I'll make sure his tail flame stays lit." Ash said as he took off his own poncho and covering the tail so that the rain won't get to it.

Brock nodded and picked up Charmander, and we ran as fast as we could to get back to the Pokémon center.

(Ash)

As soon as we arrived, Nurse joy immediately sprang into action, putting Charmander on one of the beds with his tail laid on a piece of coal.

"Wouldn't it help if my Charmander used ember?" Soren asked.

Joy nodded. "It should help. Just be careful."

He pulled a pokéball and sent out Charmander, telling him to use Ember on the tail. After a few seconds, the flame started getting a tiny bit stronger.

"I think that's enough, Soren." Joy said.

He nodded and returned him to his pokéball.

"Will he survive?" Brock asked.

The nurse nodded. "He will, but he's really weak. It'll take all night for him to fully recover."

I nodded. "I understand. We'll stay the night here."

As we started to leave, joy stopped us.

"I would recommend that one of you should take him once he's well rested. He deserves a better trainer." Joy said.

We exchanged glances. "We'll talk it over." Brock said, and we walked out and went to the hotel room.

Once we walked in, me, Misty, Soren and Lucina sat on the couch while Brock and Emma stayed standing.

"Joys right." Soren said. "One of us is going to have to train the little guy."

"Who do you suggest?" Emma asked.

"Well, I already have a Charmander if my own. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to take him, but I'm not sure if I'm the right one to do it." He said.

Lucina patted him on the shoulder. "I'll have to agree with him. I'm not so sure if I'll do so well with him."

Emma shrugged. "I think, all in all, Charmander should go to either Brock or Ash. They're the ones that saved the little guy."

To my surprise, the others nodded. "Brock decided to take action when Damien refused to, and a Ash did his best to be sure Charmander's tail stayed lit." Soren said. "I'm in full agreement."

"We'll have to see in the morning." Brock said. "Who knows, he may still think that Damien's going back."

I nodded. "Then we'll have to explain to him that Damien abandoned him."

"Look, let's just wait until morning." Soren snapped. "We can't help him just by thinking about it now."

We agreed and decided to sleep in for the night.

Let's see what the outcome is tomorrow. I thought and drifted to sleep with Pikachu.

The next morning, we packed our bags and went straight to Charmander's room, only to find the bed empty and the window wide open.

"Where'd he go?" Lucina asked.

Soren shrugged. "Don't ask me." He replied as Brock looked through the window.

"I don't know how long it's been open, but he couldn't have gone far." He said.

Soren nodded. "Then let's go after him." He suggested and started to walk out when Lucina grabbed his arm.

"Soren, I think Charmander's made his choice." She told him.

"Even if he did, Damien won't do anything. That's why we should go after him." He replied.

I nodded. "Right. Come on." I said, and we all ran back towards the rock Charmander was abandoned.

We were only halfway there when we finally found the little guy.

"Charmander!" I called.

He wheeled around and happily barked at us.

"Hey, Charmander, you're still wanting Damien to come back, huh?" Soren asked.

He nodded.

"You're a pretty loyal Pokémon, bud. But...Damien wants nothing to do with you." I said. "He was never going back for ya, and when we tried to make him, he still refused."

Charmander stared at us for a bit, then sadly looked down.

I guess he's starting to get it. I thought.

Suddenly, Soren got rammed in the side, sending him sprawling on the ground.

"Soren!" Lucina yelled and drew her sword as she wheeled around to see Archer.

"You again?" Soren grumbled. "You seriously don't know when to quit."

"Do you think I would have a choice?" He shot back. "I was ordered to hunt you down, remember?"

Oh, great. I thought.

"Besides. It's not like I came alone." He sneered. "I've got a new recruit."

We watched as someone came from behind him. We were surprised to see that it was Damien.

"Damien? You're...in Team Rocket?" Emma asked in shock.

He grinned. "I am now. Besides...I got better things to do then becoming a lousy Pokémon trainer like yourselves."

I angrily pulled Bulbasaur's pokéball off my belt. "Why? Why would you? Charmander followed your orders, and you just abandon him just to join Team Rocket?!"

He chuckled. "Well, don't you see? That was a test I easily passed." He explained and looked at Charmander with disgust. "Archer told me that in order to join, I had to leave a Pokémon to die. Now Charmander was close, until you fools decided to poor your hearts out to him and save his miserable life."

Charmander angrily barked at him.

"Shut it, lizard!" Damien snapped.

Instead of obeying, Charmander took a deep breath and flat out breathed fire from his mouth, scorching both Archer and Damien.

"Holy...cow!" Soren yelled in amazement.

The two team Rocket members just stood there, completely dumbstruck.

"No...way." Damien coughed.

"Okay, then. Eevee, use Thunderbolt!" Soren commanded.

"Pikachu, Thundershock let's go!" I said.

Both Pokémon jumped from their trainers shoulders and fired their electric attacks on the two.

"You think you can scare us off that easily?" Damien snarled and threw his pokéball.

It snapped open, and there stood a tall, green bug with scythe like arms.

"What's that one?" I asked and activated my pokédex.

"Scyther. The mantis Pokémon. It slashes through grass with its sharp scythes, moving too fast for the human eye to track. Scyther is a bug type Pokémon." It said.

"Okay then. Pikachu, let's-"

Charmander barked at me and pointed towards his former trainer.

I started to get it. Charmander wanted to get back at Damien for what he did.

"Pikachu, let's give Charmander a try." I said. He nodded and jumped back on my shoulder.

I checked Charmander's stats on the pokédex and saw that he knows Flamethrower, Ember, and Leer.

"Okay then, Charmander. Use Flamethrower, let's go!" I commanded.

Charmander took another deep breath and blew another powerful flamethrower at Scyther, immediately scorching him.

"Nice one." I cheered. "Now hit him with Ember!"

"Dodge that and use Vacuum wave!" Damien yelled and turned his head. "Use it on Soren!"

What? I thought.

Before I could react, Scyther dodged Charmander's attack and hurled a sharp wave towards Soren.

"SOREN!" Lucina yelled.

Suddenly, Eevee jumped in front of him, and a giant green bubble formed around the two, protecting them both from the attack.

"Eevee?" He asked.

She looked back and smiled. "There's no way he's attacking you like that." She said.

"Nice job, Eevee." I said and turned towards the battle. "Charmander, use Flamethrower!"

He nodded and blew another flamethrower at Scyther, immediately knocking him out.

"What?! No!" Damien yelled.

"Nice try, Damien." Soren said, slowly getting back on his feet. "Oils like you lost. Again."

Damien angrily pointed at him. "Don't think this is over! I'll make sure you pay for this." He snarled.

"We should go. The boss would like to see you anyway." Archer told him, and they started running off.

We didn't bother to go after them. We knew we would defeat them again if they tried stopping us again.

"Well. That's the end of that." Lucina said as she sheathed her sword.

"You said it, Lucina." Emma said.

I smiled and turned to Charmander, who sadly started walking away.

"Hey Charmander, why don't you come with us?" I asked.

He looked at me in confusion.

I smiled and knelt down, giving him a good pat to the head.

"Charmander, you're really tough. I'm not going to lie." I told him, then pulled a spare pokéball off my belt. "Why don't you come with us? We'll prove to that Damien that you're tougher than he thought."

He looked at the others right behind me, then nodded.

I smiled and stood up. "Welcome to the group." I said and threw the ball in the air. Charmander jumped up, pressed the button, and let himself get absorbed.

It only shook two times before locking.

"You'll make a great trainer to him, Ash." Soren said, putting his hand on my shoulder. "He could use a trainer like you."

I smiled. "Thanks."

As I clipped the pokéball on my belt, Misty bumped my shoulder. "Check out what's up ahead."

I looked down the road, and there sat Vermillion city.

We made it. Finally. I thought.

"Let's go find that gym." Soren said, and we started walking down the road.

I guess those torturous ten days were worth it after all.

**alright then...that was crazy. Damien decided to join Team Rocket? Well, it suits his "I'm more important" personality.**

**oh. And Ash got his Charmander, and Eevee learned Protect. Awesome. **

**Again, Emma isn't my OC. She is Kyokotheeevee's. I want you to understand that, and that this was a bit tricky to do. Hope u liked it. **


	16. Chapter 15

**hey, what's up everybody? It's Ace here with a new chapter for you. I hope u like it.**

Chapter 15

(Soren)

As we walked through Vermillion city, I couldn't help but stare at all the docked boats.

You can call me whatever you want, but I've never seen so many different sized boats. Back home in Ylisse, all we had were giant ships.

"Let's quickly run to the Pokémon center." Ash said. "We'll rest there for a day, then tomorrow we'll challenge the gym."

I nodded. "Sounds good." I replied and looked over to Emma, who looked nervous.

"Hey, what's up?" I asked.

She looked at me and sighed. "Soren, can I talk to you for a sec?" She asked.

Uh oh. I don't like the sound of this. I thought, but I still followed her, urging the others to go on ahead.

"What's up?" I asked.

She sighed again. "Soren, I think we'll have to part ways."

What? "Wait, your leaving?"

"I'm just going on ahead. That's all. I'm not going to lie, I loved seeing you again, and traveling with you all the way here, but I'll have to go on by myself. I'll take on the gym leader and leave once I win."

"You know he won't be easy." I told her. "The gym and all."

She smiled. "You know me well enough. I'm tough."

I chuckled. "Yeah. You are."

We stared at each other for a bit, then she glanced over to Lucina, who was talking with Brock and Ash about who knows what.

"She's great." She said. "Lucina."

I nodded. "Yeah. Saved my life countless times."

"You two are actually perfect for each other. I've never seen anyone else like her with the desire to keep their loved ones safe." She said.

I smiled and patted her shoulder. She only wiped away a tear and gave me a small hug.

"How about...the next time we meet, we have a battle?" I asked as she pulled away.

"So, we're rivals now?" She asked.

"Friendly rivals, Emma." I corrected. "You're still a sister to me."

She laughed and pulled something out of her pocket, putting it in my hand. "I wanted to give this to you when you left to join Chrom, but I guess I'll give it to you here." She said.

I looked at her in confusion and looked at the small, wrapped gift. I unwrapped it, and there sat a blue ocarina.

"You were pretty good with music, so I thought that would help." She said.

I smiled. "Thanks, Emma. I'll be sure to play it from time to time." I told her and placed it in my bag.

She nodded. "Well...I'll catch you later...Chief." She said and turned to leave.

"Chief?" I asked, smiling.

She shrugged. "What? You liked being the leader when we were kids. I thought it suited you."

I laughed. "See you later, Emma." I called after her. She waved and continued walking while I walked back towards the Pokémon center.

"Hey, where's Emma?" Lucina asked as I walked through the front door.

"She went on ahead." I explained. "But we'll see her on the road."

She smiled. "She was fun to travel with. I can see why you liked her."

"Emma's just like a sister, Lucina. Nothing else." I retorted.

She laughed and kissed my cheek. "I know. I'm just messing with you."

I shook my head. "You're known to."

Suddenly, we heard cop sirens go off down the alley. We looked through the window and saw a bunch of color on the brick wall in front of the Pokémon center.

"Who did that?" I asked. "And why are the cops fussing over it?"

The five of us ran outside to see what was going on.

"Yep. No doubt. It's those Squirtles again." A nearby cop grumbled.

"If only they were treated better by their trainers." Another one said.

I tapped one of them on the shoulder. "Excuse me, but...what's going on?" I asked.

He shook his head. "Four Squirtles did some graffiti on private property. Can't blame them. After all, they were abandoned."

"Them too?" Ash asked.

The cop looked at him in confusion, then shook his head. "Anyway, we're still trying to stop them, but they're immediately gone just before they're reported."

"So you guys got a bunch of ninja Squirtles?" I asked.

The cop shrugged. "Something like that."

"Maybe we can talk to them." Lucina suggested. "Do they have...a hideout or something?"

The cop pointed towards an old construction site. "They live over there. Luckily, that place was abandoned, but...it could still be dangerous for them."

We nodded. "Okay. We'll go talk to them."

He shrugged. "Be my guest. Not sure if you'll get much luck."

"We'll try anyway." I said. And we left towards the construction site.

Once we got there, we immediately started hearing noises. Sounds of laughter.

"Looks like they enjoy their little mischief." Lucina muttered.

I nodded. "Right."

"Mischief managed." Eevee muttered. "I solemnly swear, they're definitely up to no good."

I laughed. "You're the Pokémon version of Emma." I said and started walking in.

"Too bad she had to leave." Ash said.

The laughter started getting louder as we got further into the site.

"They must love their work." Misty muttered.

"Hello?" I called. "We don't want to hurt you. We just want to talk."

The laughter died. They know we're here.

"Look, we get your frustration with trainers." I said. "You're not the only one that got abandoned. We have Pokémon with us that were left to die by their former trainers."

I sent out Ponyta while Ash sent out Bulbasaur and Charmander.

"You see? These guys were abandoned too. You can trust us." I said.

We waited for a bit longer when we suddenly got blasted by four water gun attacks, completely dousing us.

"Seriously?" Ash asked, taking off his hat to shake off the water. "This is my favorite hat."

"Don't get too attached to it." Misty shot back while I looked around, trying to find the origin when I saw another water gun head straight towards me.

I'm not sure why, but I crossed my arms over my chest, hoping the water wouldn't hit me, when the stones on my gloves began to glow, forming a giant blue shield and blocking the water.

"What the...?" I wondered.

Then I remembered Pewter, that night when I caught Onix. The stones on the back of my hands must have some sort of power.

I clenched my fists, causing the stones to glow even brighter than before.

Meanwhile, a giant white Pokémon with a yellow ring circling his body awakens, sensing the energy coming from Pokéarth.

"The Arcean has returned." He said to himself, and he began glowing, alerting all known legendary Pokémon in existence.

On the other hand, a young girl napping with her Pikachu woke up.

"Something...feels different." She said and glanced towards Vermillion city. She saw a bright blue light coming from the construction site.

"What's going on?" She wondered.

(Soren)

Before I knew what was happening, my mind started to become clear, like...the only feeling I had was a sense of justice and freedom. Like I could feel everything around me even when I closed my eyes.

I pulled a pokéball off my belt and threw it. It snapped open, and there stood Ivysaur.

"Ivysaur, use Razor leaf!" I commanded.

Ivysaur spun the leaves on his back, sending a shape leaf flying behind one of the beams, and striking a Squirtle and sending him flying out in the open.

"Nice one, bud." I said and turned to Ash, who just stared at me in amazement.

I nodded. "I heard you wanted a Squirtle once. Here's your chance."

Suddenly, three other Squirtles jumped from behind the beams, ready to battle.

The head Squirtle (who, strangely enough was wearing shades) called them off and taunted Ivysaur.

Ivysaur was about to attack, when Ash's Bulbasaur jumped in the way and growled.

I looked at Ash and shrugged. "This ones all yours then. We'll take care of the other three." I told him.

He nodded and braced himself while I went to help Brock and Misty deal with the other three Squirtles.

Good luck, kid. I thought.

(Ash)

Okay, I have no idea what just happened with Soren, but that was amazing.

Anyway, once he left to help Misty and Brock, I started my battle off with Bulbasaur.

"Okay Bulbasaur, Vine whip, let's go!" I commanded.

Bulbasaur extended the vines from under his bulb and swung them at Squirtle.

The turtle shrunk into his shell and spun straight towards me, dodging the vine whips and striking Bulbasaur on the head.

"Bulbasaur, you alright?" I asked.

He shook off the pain and braced himself with a bark in reply.

"Okay, then use Tackle!" I commanded.

He charged straight towards Squirtle as he popped out of his shell and rammed into him, dealing quite a bit of damage.

"Nice one." I cheered. "Now hit him with Vine whip!"

Before Squirtle could strike, Bulbasaur smacked him with his vines, dealing more damage than before.

Angrily, the Squirtle took off his shades and threw them aside.

Looks like he's mad now. I thought.

"Bulbasaur, brace yourself." I said.

He nodded and obeyed while Squirtle took a deep breath and shot water out if his mouth.

"Dodge that water gun!" I said.

Bulbasaur jumped out of the way right before the water hit him.

"Great. Now use Razor leaf!" I commanded.

Just as he landed, he fired a volley if Razor leaves at Squirtle, but he jumped out of the way and spun around in his shell.

"Stop him with Vine whip!" I said.

Bulbasaur extended his vines and wrapped them around Squirtles shell, causing him to want to pull back and spin the shell around, releasing him, and Squirtle flew into one of the beams.

I flipped my hat and clipped off a spare pokéball. "Okay then! pokéball, let's go!" I yelled and threw it.

It sailed across the room and tapped Squirtle on the head, absorbing him, and fell to the ground. It wobbled a few times, then clicked.

Squirtle was caught.

"Alright!" I cheered and picked it up. "I got him."

"Then let's get outta here." Soren said. "I think I accidentally attacked a beam."

Before I could ask, I started hearing noises from above. Then, out of nowhere, a metal beam landed right next to me.

"Yep. Let's go." Lucina said and picked up one of the Squirtles while Soren and Brock took the other two, and we ran out of the abandoned site as it began crumbling down.

Once we were out, the entire structure collapsed behind us.

"Well. That was something." Eevee muttered. "Wonder if it was loud enough for Emma to hear."

We all laughed as the cops drove up behind us, along with some guy in a camouflage button up shirt.

"What the heck happened here?" He demanded.

Soren rubbed the back of his head nervously. "My bad. I accidentally hit a beam support...so the thing just collapsed."

The man stared at him for a bit, then glanced at the three Squirtles behind him.

"Where's the boss?" He asked.

I pulled a the pokéball off my belt. "I caught him."

He looked at me in surprise. "You...caught him?"

I nodded. "I understood what he was going through, so I caught him. I guess the other three could use a trainer though." I suggested.

He shook his head. "Do I look like a water type gym leader to you, kid?"

"Well, no I...wait. You're the gym leader?" I asked.

He nodded. "Yessiree. Lt. Surge at your service." He said and shook our hands. "I guess I have to find a way to thank you for dealing with the troublemakers...while others were too scared to. How about a gym battle first thing in the morning?"

I almost laughed. "Sure. But I'm not the only one." I told him and pointed to Soren.

Surge looked at him and nodded. "Soren, right?"

He stepped back in surprise. "How'd you-"

He waved it off. "Some girl told me about a boy with an Eevee on his shoulder traveling with a younger boy with a Pikachu, so I figured it be you two." He said.

Soren sighed. "Emma." He laughed and nodded. "Then me and Ash challenge you to a battle."

Surge nodded. "Alright then. Meet me at the gym at oh nine hundred. Otherwise, the deals off."

"We'll be there." I said.

Surge laughed. "Okay then. Catch you later." He said and hoped on the side car of one of the officers motorcycle and rode off with the other three Squirtles.

"Looks like we got a challenge tomorrow." Soren laughed.

I grinned. "Thanks to all the noise you made."

He shrugged. "Hey! Nobody's perfect."

We all laughed and walked back to the Pokémon center.

So much for a "welcome to Vermillion city". I thought.

**alright then. Ash now has Squirtle. He has all three Kanto starters now. Woot. **

**Oh, and Soren seems to have awakened something with those crazy gems on his gloves. Wonder what that was about. **

**I can't wait to get into the gym battle. Hope u like the chapter.**

**oh. I almost forgot. Please be sure to give Kyokotheeevee some credit for Emma. Just to let u know. Thx. **


	17. Chapter 16

**hey guys. What's up? Here's a new chapter for ya. This one was a tiny bit tricky, but I was able to pull it off with some help from Kyokotheeevee. (Thx a lot). **

Chapter 16

(Soren)

"So, you're taking on Surge today?" Nurse joy asked as I collected my pokéballs and clipped them onto my belt.

"Yeah. Got any advice?" I asked.

She smiled and shrugged. "Well, I heard he only uses one Pokémon."

One Pokémon, huh? And Misty's sisters were saying that it wouldn't be much of a challenge if they had one Pokémon to battle with.

Of course, that was at their gym. If Surge has only one Pokémon he that he wants to use, it's got to be pretty tough.

Suddenly, one of the pokéballs snapped open, and there stood Sandshrew.

"What's up?" I asked.

She pointed to me, then the gym that was across the street.

I got the picture. She wants to take on Surge. "You want to give it a shot?" I asked.

She nodded.

"I don't think you ever got a chance to use Sandshrew yet." Eevee said.

I nodded. "Yeah, let's see what kind of Pokémon this Surge guy uses." I told her and returned Sandshrew to her pokéball.

"You ready, Soren?" Ash asked.

I nodded. "You bet. And just to let you know, Surge only uses one Pokémon."

He nodded. "Then I'll use Pikachu." He announced.

Brock looked at him with concern. "Are you sure you want to, Ash? This guys Pokémon must be really tough."

Ash clenched his fist. "I don't care. I know Pikachu can win." He said.

"Just don't get too cocky." Lucina told him. You promised that you'll take on a fair battle."

"That was after he saved my gym from that idiotic Archer guy." Misty muttered.

"Good point." She replied, laughing.

I smiled. "Come on. Let's head on over to the gym." I said and turned to Ash. "You want to go first this time?"

He grinned and nodded. "Sure."

I smiled. "Alright then. Let's head on over."

"Well, well, well. You guys came just in time." Lt. Surge said as we walked into the gym. "I was wondering if you would show up."

I smiled. "We promised you we would. So here we are." I said.

He nodded. "Here you are." He repeated. "So...who's taking me on first?"

"I am." Ash said and stepped forward.

"Alright then, kid. Let's see what you got." He said and turned to one of the guys behind him wearing the same color shirt. "You'll be the ref, lieutenant." He said.

The man nodded and saluted him. "Yessir!" He replied.

This gym leader must've fought in some kind of war or something. I thought as Ash stepped into the trainers square.

(Ash)

I would have to agree with Soren about Lt. Surge. Man this guy's serious.

After we stepped into our sides of the battlefield, the referee began announcing the rules.

"This is a one on one gym battle between Ash, the challenger, and Lt. Surge, the gym leader. Let's have the battle begin!"

"Okay Raichu, let's show this punk what we're made of!" Surge yelled and threw his pokéball.

It snapped open, and there stood Raichu. In my opinion, he looks like Pikachu, but his tail's longer.

I decided to see what he can do with Dexter.

"Raichu, the mouse Pokémon, and the evolved form of Pikachu. It can loose 100,000-volt bursts of electricity, instantly downing foes several times its size. Raichu is a electric type. Current moves: Thundershock, Body slam, Thunderbolt, and Mega punch."

Wow. Quite a powerhouse he's got here. I thought and turned to Pikachu. "You ready, buddy?" I asked him.

He looked a little nervous, but he nodded and jumped into the battlefield.

"Alright then, kid. You go first. Show me what you got." Surge said.

I grinned. "Okay then. Pikachu, use Thundershock, let's go!" I commanded.

Pikachu charged himself up and fired a small bolt of lightning at Raichu.

It hit him, but it didn't do a thing.

What the...? I thought.

Surge just laughed. "Well, you see, since you got Pikachu, his electric attacks won't really do much on my pal here." He said. "Allow me to demonstrate. Raichu, use your Thundershock!"

Raichu charged himself up and fired a Thundershock that looked a bit bigger than Pikachu's.

"Quick, Pikachu. Dodge it!" I yelled.

Too late. That bolt was way more faster than Pikachu's. It hit him, dealing a little bit more damage than Pikachu's attack.

"Okay, Pikachu. Retaliate with thunderbolt!" I commanded.

"Dodge it and use Mega punch!" Surge yelled.

Just as Pikachu fired his Thunderbolt, Raichu jumped out of the way and jumped towards him with his fist glowing as he smacked him in the face.

"Pikachu!" I yelled.

Suddenly, the thunderbolt redirected itself and hit Raichu in the back. Actually dealing a little more damage than before.

"What the...what happened there?" Surge asked.

I shrugged. "Hey, that was new to me too." I said.

He gave a small chuckle. "That was strong, but that punch Raichu did dealt a great deal of damage." He said.

I looked at Pikachu and saw that he was right right. That mega punch did a huge amount on him, he's already covered in bruises.

"Oh man. Pikachu." I said. "Can you keep going?"

He shook off the pain and braced himself.

"That's the spirit, bud. Now use Thundershock!"

"Thunderbolt him, Raichu!" Surge commanded.

Both electric attacks collided, but Raichu's thunderbolt was too strong and broke through and hit Pikachu, knocking him out.

No... I thought, slumping to my knees.

"Pikachu is unable to continue. Raichu's the winner!" The referee announced.

I walked over to Pikachu and picked him up. "Sorry buddy." I said.

"Your Pikachu's strong, kid." Surge said. "I would recommend training him a bit more."

I nodded. "I'll do it, Surge." I told him. "I'll be sure to train hard."

He nodded. "Alright." He said and turned to Soren. "Looks like you're up, kid."

Soren nodded and walked up to me. "I think you should take him to the Pokémon center." He said.

"I will." I replied. "And...good luck."

As I started walking out, Soren put his hand on my shoulder. "You were awesome, Ash. Don't be too hard on yourself. You and Pikachu did your best."

I grinned. "Thanks." I replied and walked out.

To tell the truth, I don't care if Soren won the badge first try and I didn't. People have their wins and losses, right?

(Soren)

After Ash left, I seriously hoped he wouldn't be upset if I ended up getting the badge first try.

"So...you ready?" Surge asked.

I nodded. "Let's do it."

He grinned and turned to his Raichu. "You're up, pal."

Raichu nodded and leapt back into the battlefield.

I pulled Sandshrew's pokéball off my belt.

"Alright then. Bring it, Sandshrew!" I yelled and threw the ball. It snapped open, and there stood the little ground mouse.

"A Sandshrew, huh? Nice choice." Surge whistled and nodded to the referee, who saluted.

"This will be a one on one gym battle between Lt. Surge, the gym leader, and Soren the challenger. Let the battle begin!" He announced.

"Sandshrew, let's do this for Ash and Pikachu!" I said. "Use rollout!"

Sandshrew nodded and curled up in a ball, rolling towards Raichu at decent speed.

"Block it with Mega punch!" Surge commanded.

Raichu's fist began glowing, and he stopped Sandshrew right as he punched her. Except Sandshrew kept spinning, causing a small explosion.

Both Pokémon slid away from each other, bracing themselves.

"Okay Sandshrew, use Dig!" I commanded.

Sandshrew nodded in reply and dove right into the ground.

"Don't let him get you, Raichu!" Surge said.

Raichu nodded and jumped around to be sure Sandshrew wouldn't catch him by surprise.

The only thing was...Raichu was slower than a Pikachu on four legs.

"Now Sandshrew, burst out of there and use Sand attack!" I commanded.

Sandshrew obeyed and broke the ground right under Raichu, dealing some damage. Then he landed on the ground and dug sand right into Raichu's eyes.

"Nice job, girl." I said. "Now hit him with Rollout again!"

Sandshrew nodded and began rolling towards Raichu in full speed.

"Stop it with Mega punch again!" Surge commanded.

Raichu moved one his hands away from his eyes as it glowed...and punched thin air as Sandshrew smacked him in the face.

"Nice one." I said. "Now hit him again!"

Knock him away with your tail!" Surge commanded.

Sandshrew bounced off Raichu, spun around and attempted to smack him again when his tail knocked her aside.

"Sandshrew!" I yelled and glanced over to Raichu, who was successful on getting all that sand out if his eyes.

"Alright, pal. Now use Body Slam!" Surge commanded.

As Sandshrew tried to recover from that tail, Raichu lunged towards her and smacked her in the side with his shoulder.

"Sandshrew!" I yelled.

She struggled trying to get back on her feet, almost collapsing.

"Come on, girl. Hang in there!" I said desperately.

Sandshrew struggled a little more, then got back on her feet.

"There we go!" I cheered.

Suddenly, her body began glowing aqua blue, and her back became covered in spikes as she started growing almost to Raichu's size.

Sandshrew's evolving.

The light dissipated with a loud blast, and there stood a lighter brown colored shrew with spikes on her back.

"Alright, you evolved!" I said and checked my pokédex.

"Sandslash, the Mouse Pokémon. And the evolved form of Sandshrew.

If Sandslash digs at an incredible pace, it may snap off its spikes and claws. They grow back in a day. Current moves: Dig, Fury swipes, Swift, and Rollout."

"Alright, Sandslash. Looks like you learned some new moves." I said. "Use Swift!"

Sandshrew jumped up in the air and clawed thin air, but stars shot out of his claws and sailed towards Raichu, catching him off guard and hitting him.

"Nice one. Now use Fury swipes!" I commanded.

Sandslash's claws glowed as he landed and ran towards Raichu, giving him a series of scratches.

"Strike back with Mega punch!" Surge yelled.

"Dig, let's go!" I said.

Just before Raichu could punch her, Sandslash jumped off his face and dive right into the ground.

"Careful, Raichu." Surge warned.

Raichu scanned the ground, bracing himself while the ground started breaking underneath him.

"Jump out of the way!" Surge yelled.

Too slow. Before Raichu could respond, Sandslash broke from under the ground.

"Nice. Now Swift!"

Again, Sandslash swiped at thin air, hurling stars at Raichu, striking him hard.

"Thunderbolt him, Raichu!" Surge yelled.

"Stop it with Rollout!" I said.

As Raichu fired his Thunderbolt, Sandslash started rolling towards him, knocking away the electricity as she rammed into him, causing another explosion, making them slide away from each other.

Both Pokémon were worn out, bruised, and almost ready to pass out.

The question was...who?

Suddenly, Raichu stumbled and collapsed, completely knocked out.

"Raichu cannot continue. Sandslash is the winner! That means the Thinder badge goes to Soren!" The referee announced.

"Alright, Sandslash! We won!" I cheered as she and Eevee tackled me.

I just didn't realize that Sandshrew's spikes were pointy.

"Okay, guys. That's enough." I laughed and jumped back on my feet as Surge walked up to us with a tray holding a badge that was shaped like the sun.

"Congratulations, kid. Here you go." He said and held the tray out towards me. "The Thunder badge."

I grinned. "That's how we get things done!" I said as I took the badge. "Three down, five to go!"

Surge laughed and nodded. "And, since you kinda win after that other kid lost, I guess you could give him some pointers."

I nodded back. "Yeah. Sure thing." I said.

He smiled. "Well then, I'll be looking forward to his rematch."

As we walked out of the gym, I was just about to put the badge in the badge case when I started hearing voices around the corner.

And they both sounded familiar.

"Is that Ash?" Lucina asked.

"Let's go have a look!" Misty said.

We ran towards the commotion and saw Ash arguing with someone.

And that someone was none other than Gary Oak.

"What's the point of you going on this journey anyway, Ash?" He asked. "You know you'll always be in second place."

"Watch it, Gary!" Ash yelled. "You weren't around me long enough to see what I could do!"

"Oh, like you got followers." His rival laughed.

I turned to Eevee and nodded. She jumped off my shoulder, transformed into Jolteon and fired a thunderbolt between the two boys.

"Enough!" I yelled as Eevee landed back on my shoulder in her original form.

Gary looked at me in surprise. "You...what are you doing here?" He asked.

"Isn't it obvious? We're Ash's friends." Misty snapped.

Gary turned to her and Brock. "Aren't you guys gym leaders?"

"Does it matter?" I snapped.

He looked at me and Lucina. "I didn't really ask you, punk." He snapped.

"We don't care." Eevee shot back.

Gary jumped back. "What the...you talk!?"

"Yeah, but I'm not sure if I wanted to talk to you." She said.

Gary just shook his head. "Well, what else is new, Ash? You're traveling with a freak show."

"Oh just knock it off, Gary!" He yelled.

"I would if you could beat me." He said. "Oh wait, you can't. You never have, and you never will." He said and walked off, laughing. "You couldn't even beat a gym leader with only one Pokémon."

Ash yelled in frustration and threw a nearby rock into the water. "Man, I hate that guy!" He said.

I put my hand on his shoulder. "I'm no fan of him either." I told him. "You're not alone."

He nodded and noticed the badge. "You won?" He asked.

I smiled. "Yeah. Beat him with Sandslash."

"Sandslash?" He wondered. "Wait, your Sandshrew evolved?"

I laughed. "Yep. And I've got some things to help you out. There were lots of stuff I noticed when I battled him." I said as we walked back in.

Looks like we'll be training tonight. I thought.

**alright then. Ash lost, yes. But Soren was able to win and will be helping out with training. (Which is pretty smart.)**

**anyway, I hope u like it. **


	18. Chapter 17

**hey, what's up guys? Here's another chapter for ya in Pokémon heroes. Man, two chapters in one day. Feels great. **

**Anyway, hope u like it. **

Chapter 17

(Ash)

"Okay, when I battled Surges Raichu, there was one major thing I noticed that might help you." Soren explained.

"What was that?" I asked.

"Well, Raichu's pretty slow for one." He explained. "I figured that after he tried to dodge most if Sandlslash's attacks."

"So...all I need to do is use a move that will speed me up." I said.

He nodded. "Yep. And I know the perfect move for Pikachu: Quick attack."

Eevee nodded in agreement. "Yep. And I'll be able to help out."

"Okay." I said. "Let's do it."

We stepped into the small battlefield behind the Pokémon center, where two wooden dummies stood.

"We're going to attack those?" I asked.

Soren nodded. "Yep. That's the way we trained back home."

"But...they're not attacking." I said.

Soren pulled two pokéballs off his belt and threw them. Charmander and Ivysaur snapped out and stood behind the dummies.

"They are now." He said. "Charmander, I want you to use Ember. Ivysaur, you should use your Vine whip." He said. "When we knock over your dummy, you stop, okay?"

Both Pokémon nodded and braced themselves.

"I'll show you how it's done." Soren said as Eevee jumped off his shoulder.

As Soren's other two Pokémon started attacking, Soren commanded Eevee to use quick attack to dodge.

Eevee's body glowed, and she dashed across the field, dodging the attacks as she ran into one of the dummies, making Charmander stop attacking.

Then Eevee dodged Ivysaurs vine whip and knocked down the other dummy.

"There we go." Soren said as Lucina put the dummies back in place. "Now you try, Ash."

I nodded and walked over to Soren's spot as Pikachu jumped off my shoulder and braced himself.

Soren gave his two Pokémon a slight nod, and they started attacking.

"Okay Pikachu, dodge it with Quick attack!" I commanded.

Pikachu's body didn't glow, but he ran as fast as he could to dodge Ivysaurs Vine whip and Charmander's Ember.

Pikachu was just about to knock down the first dummy, but then Ivysaurs vine hit him, knocking him back.

"Pikachu!" I yelled.

He shook off the pain and started running again. This time, he just barely missed the vine whip and smacked one of the dummies down.

"Nice one." I said.

"You're doing great, both of you." Soren acknowledged. "I'm starting to see a little bit of light forming."

I looked at Pikachu and saw that Soren was right. There's a small bit of light enveloping him.

"Okay then. Pikachu, use Quick attack on Charmander's dummy." I commanded.

Pikachu started running again, only this time, his body became fully enveloped in light, and he started running faster and smacked the dummy before Charmander could react.

"Alright! You learned Quick attack!" I cheered.

Pikachu turned back towards me and smiled.

I grinned, then glanced over to the other side of the battlefield, where Soren and Eevee wee bracing themselves.

"We're battling?" I asked.

He nodded. "Just to see if that Quick attack really works."

I grinned. "Bring it then." I said.

"Okay then. Eevee, use swift!" He commanded.

"Dodge it with Quick attack!" I said.

Just as Eevee hurled stars at Pikachu, he immediately became enveloped in light and dashed out of the way.

"Okay, use Protect!" Soren said.

Just as Pikachu was about to hit her, that giant, green bubble formed around her, blocking the attack.

"Now strike back with swift!" Soren said.

"Stop them with Thundershock!" I commanded.

As Eevee began hurling stars, Pikchu charged himself up and fired Thundershock, when the bolt suddenly began connecting to all the stars, blowing them up.

"Not bad." Soren laughed. "Now try it with Thunderbolt."

I stared at him. "Are you sure you want me to use that? It's not very...accurate." I warned.

"That's the thing." He said. "We're going to have it where you're trying to hit the main target through Eevee's swift."

"And...what's the main target?" Misty asked.

Soren smiled, and his entire body became fitted with some kind of...armor.

"No way." Lucina laughed. "You're using yourself?"

He nodded (Or at least...his helmet did). "The inside of this suit is leather, so it won't hurt." He explained. "Plus...the Valmese made this thing indestructible. A lightning bolt won't hurt it."

He nodded to Eevee, and she looked at him as if he was crazy. "You sure you want me to do this?" She asked.

He nodded. "Go ahead. I'll be fine." He assured her.

She took a deep breath and hurled her swift, then transformed into her electric form, firing a thunderbolt.

The bolt flew right past the stars and hit Soren, but he just stood there, taking a direct hit.

"There we go." He laughed as his helmet folded itself into the suit. "Told you it wouldn't hurt."

He nodded towards me. "Now you try."

I sighed. "Were you known to so things like this?" I asked.

He shrugged. "Sometimes."

"Almost got himself killed more than once." Lucina muttered.

We all laughed as Soren's helmet refitted itself on his head.

"Okay, Pikachu." I said, laughing. "Use thunderbolt!"

"Swift, Eevee!" Soren commanded (with a different voice).

Eevee hurled stars, and Pikachu fired his thunderbolt at Soren. The bolt managed to pass through a few stars before connecting and exploding.

"It's getting better." Soren said. "Try again."

I nodded. (I still can't get through Soren's new voice). "Okay Pikachu, thunderbolt, let's go!" I commanded.

Pikachu charged and fired again as Eevee attacked with swift again.

This time, it started getting further and actually got to the end before exploding.

"Almost there." I said. "Thunderbolt, one more time!"

Pikachu charged up a little bit longer, then fired, it managed to go through the entire volley and hit Soren.

Once his armor was no longer cackling with electricity, it started folding itself into Soren's belt.

"Not bad, kid. You're ready." He said.

I smiled and nodded. "Thanks for all your help, Soren."

He grinned. "Anytime."

I looked at Pikachu, and we both clenched our fist.

This time, there's no doubt we'll win that gym battle.

**alright...who's ready for that gym battle? I sure am. I'm sure it's going to turn out great. I hope u enjoyed this. **


	19. Chapter 18

**hey guys. It's Ace with a brand new chapter for ya. I hope u like this. **

Chapter 18

(Ash)

The next morning, after going through a quick practice battle with Soren and Eevee, we decided to take on Lt. Surge right away.

"Good luck, Ash. We'll be there, cheering you on." Soren said as we walked. Everyone else nodded in agreement.

"Thanks, guys." I replied. "I'll do my best."

"Oh yeah, I hope that other new move Pikachu learned works out well." He said.

He's right. As we were training this morning, Pikachu learned another new move during our battle. I hope it works.

Lt. Surge happily greeted us as we returned to the battlefield. His Raichu was already out of his pokéball.

"You ready to get this rematch started?" He asked.

I grinned and nodded. "Bring it, Surge." I said.

He smiled as his Raichu jumped into the battlefield. "Then let's go!"

"Pikachu, I choose you!" I yelled as he jumped off my shoulder and into the battlefield himself.

"Bring out all you've got, kid. I've got all day." He challenged.

"Okay then. Pikachu, Thunderbolt let's go!" I commanded.

Pikachu charged himself up and fired a super strong lightning bolt at Raichu.

"Intercept it with your own thunderbolt!" Surge said, and his Pokémon fired his own lightning bolt.

Both bolts perfectly collide with one another, making a huge explosion in the middle of the battlefield.

"Wow, you really did your homework." Surge laughed.

I grinned. "I've got some friends to help me out."

"Then let's see how you deal with this." He replied. "Body slam, now!"

"Dodge with Agility!" I commanded.

Pikachu's body began glowing blue as he started running faster, blue light trailing was behind him as he ran past Raichu.

"Alright, now use quick attack!" I said.

The blue light changed to plain white as he wheeled around and smacked Raichu in the chest, knocking him back.

"Wow! He's gotten tougher." Surge whistled. "Raichu, Mega punch!"

"Quick attack again!" I yelled.

With his body still glowing, he rammed right into Raichu's glowing fist, causing a smaller explosion than before.

"Keep it up, guys!" Eevee yelled from the stands.

"You got this, you two!" Lucina and Misty cheered.

"Show those two what you're made of!" Soren hollered.

"Alright, Pikachu. Let's make everyone proud." I said. "Thunderbolt, let's go!"

Pikachu charged himself up and fired another thunderbolt at Raichu, while he ended up doing the same.

The bolts collided again, making another explosion and blowing dust all over the place.

"Now use Quick attack!" I commanded.

Before the dust could clear, Pikachu dashed right through the cloud and smacked into Raichu before he could react.

"Nice one." I said.

"We'll see about that." Surge grumbled. "Mega punch, Raichu!"

"Dodge it with Agility again!" I commanded.

Just as Raichu tried to punch downward on Pikachu, he immediately dashed right beside him.

"Try to hit him again!" Surge commanded.

Frustrated, Raichu kept on trying to punch Pikachu, but he kept missing as he jumped from place to place.

Eventually, Raichu started getting dizzy and stopped punching the ground.

"Raichu? Snap out of it!" Surge yelled.

I laughed. "Worked like a charm." I said.

"You planned that?" He asked.

I grinned and nodded. "Can't beat a super fast Pikachu." I said. "Quick attack, let's go!"

Pikachu nodded happily and rammed into Raichu square in the chest, sending him flying towards Surge.

He landed right in front of the gym leader. For a second he didn't move, then he began to slowly get up.

He struggled for a bit, then grinned at Pikachu and collapsed.

Raichu was unconscious. I won the rematch.

"Raichu is unable to continue. Pikachu is the winner, so that means...Ash has won the Thunder badge!" The referee announced.

Everyone at the stands cheered as Pikachu jumped into my arms, giving me a small playful zap.

"Hey, great job, bud." I said, smiling at my partner.

He grinned and clenched his fist again, then jumped back onto my shoulder as Surge came walking up to me with the badge tray, holding a badge that looks like the sun.

"That's the Thunder badge?" I asked.

Surge shrugged. "Well, you can't see thunder, so we had to improvise." He laughed.

I laughed and took the badge.

"Alright! We just won the Thunder badge!" I cheered, holding it up in the air.

"Nice job, Ash." Soren said. "I knew you'd be able to do it."

I smiled. "I had a good teacher."

He laughed. "I'm a lot of things, but I'm no mentor." He said.

"Oh, come on Soren." Lucina said, laughing. "You helped him win. That makes you a great mentor."

"I know nothing about this world, remember?" He retorted. "How can I teach him if I don't know how everything works?"

"You're learning." Brock admitted.

"Thank you, Brock." Lucina said.

Me and Soren laughed. Life with the party. I thought.

Surge tapped my shoulder. "So...whee you guys planning to go next?" He asked.

Me and Soren exchanged glances and shrugged. "No idea."

He scratched his chin. "Well...there's an old friend of mine named Sabrina. She lives over at Saffron city."

"Sweet. We'll go there, then." Soren said.

"Well, you can't go back the way you came. The roads blocked from here. But...if you take the St. Anne and sail over to Port town, there's a short cut from there."

"Sweet. Thanks." I said, and we all left the gym to get Pikachu rested from the battle. It didn't sound like the battle did much, but he did have some scratches on him.

"Ash, I've just gotta say...great job in that battle." Soren said as we all waited for Brock to make dinner in the Pokémon centers kitchen.

I laughed. "Thanks guys. I'm glad you were there to cheer me on."

He nodded and looked over his shoulder to look at the St. Anne as it docked in Vermillion port.

"There's our ride." Lucina said. "When do we board?"

"I'd say tomorrow morning." Soren suggested. "The sooner we get to Saffron, the better."

"I'm in agreement." A voice said behind us. I wheeled around and saw one of Professor Iaks new assistants.

"Chrom!" Soren said. "What are you doing here?"

He shrugged. "Just came by to say hello." He said.

"How'd you get here?" Lucina asked.

He pointed to the St. Anne. "Took that ship. Let me tell you, it's actually a nice boat." He said.

We laughed.

He glanced over to me and Pikachu. "So...you two actually got along."

I laughed. "Yep. Took a while, but it was worth it."

He nodded. "And I see you've got yourself a good company."

"Well, one of us is in the kitchen." Lucina explained and leaned over to whisper something in his ear, making him hold back a laugh.

"He's that good, huh?" He asked. "I'll be sure not to tell Frederick you said that."

"That is...if we ever see him again." Soren muttered.

He smiled. "We'll see him again, pal. By the way, I need to talk to you two alone." He said and walked out the door with Soren and Lucina.

Wonder what's up? I thought.

(Soren)

"I looked into the thing with Team Rocket." He said as we walked past the Pokémon center. "It's not good."

"What is it?" Lucina asked.

"Well, apparently...the leader of Team Rocket...Giovanni, was actually in league with Validar."

"They knew each other?" I asked.

He nodded. "Yeah. That is...at least what Morgan said."

"Morgan knows them?" Lucina asked.

He nodded again. "Apparently they're a part of her future."

"Right. So...what does she know about them?" I asked.

"Well...they're working on some sort of project. No one knows what it is, but Morgan said that they wanted to use it against you." He explained.

"Wait a minute, I thought Morgan and Coryn didn't want to say anything about our future." Lucina wondered.

Chrom shrugged. "I guess...after you ran into them more than once, I guess they figured it was time to say something."

True. I thought.

Chrom patted my shoulder. "They actually wanted to tell you themselves, but...things wouldn't have turned out good if they came."

I nodded. "I understand."

He smiled when something beeped on his belt.

"Well. I was wondering when he'd call." He grumbled and pulled off some black gadget off his belt.

"Yes? Mm-hmm. Ok. I'll be on my way." He said and clipped it back on.

"Sorry guys. I've gotta head back to Cerulean. Oak said there's something off about some cave nearby." He explained.

"We'll see you back at Pallet town, then." I said.

He nodded. "Sure thing. And good luck." He said and walked off.

As we watched him leave, I couldn't help but think about what he said about Team Rocket.

Why are they so interested in finding me? I wondered.

Lucina tapped my shoulder. "Come on. I think Brock's finished."

"Okay. Let's eat and get some rest." I said, and we walked back to the Pokémon center.

**alrighty then. Ash win his third badge. Hows that for a battle, huh?**

**i thought it'd be cool to have Chrom pay a visit. Just for old times sake, right!**

**anyway, hope you liked it. **


	20. Chapter 19

**hey, what's up guys? This is Ace with a new chapter for ya. Hope you enjoy. **

Chapter 19

"So. The boy's in Vermillion." Giovanni assumed. Looking over the monitor of his personal computer as it showed Soren and his friends leaving the Pokémon center.

Archer nodded. "Yes sir. No doubt he's won the Thunder badge already."

"Why do you say that?" His boss asked.

"Well...some of my boys went to that gym to look for him, only to get zapped by that insane Raichu that gym leader has." Archer explained.

"So apparently, if we try to attack him in the city, that would give us more trouble."

"A lot more than what we need." Giovanni muttered.

"What do you suggest?" Damien asked.

Giovanni scratched his chin and looked at the city through one of his satellites.

Then, he found something. He positioned the camera to get a better look at one of Vermillion city's docks.

"Tell me what you know...of the St. Anne." He said.

(Soren)

"Okay. Let's grab what we need and board the St. Anne." I said the next morning.

After going through our equipment, and grabbing any extra items at the Pokémon mart, we decided it was time to board.

As we walked towards the ship, I noticed that Ash couldn't stop looking at the badge he won last night.

"You might want to be careful, Ash." I said. "You might end up falling off the dock."

He quickly glanced to the edge and playfully shoved me, almost knocking me off.

"Come on, guys." Lucina laughed. "Let's make sure we're not wet once we board."

"Yeah. That won't be good." Brock agreed.

I laughed, scratching my head. "Okay then. Let's get there as dry as possible." I said.

Everyone burst out laughing.

"So...where's Chrom again?" Misty asked.

"He had to head over to Cerulaean city. There's some mysterious cave or something." Lucina explained.

"Who knows? He may pay the gym a visit." I said.

She shrugged. "Maybe."

As we boarded the ship, I couldn't help by almost laugh. This bucket was huge. Inside and out.

"Wow. No wonder Dad was so so impressed by this thing." Lucina said, completely dumbstruck. "It's amazing."

I nodded. "I hear ya, Lucina."

"There must be some kind if convention going on today." Ash said, looking at the variety of booths.

"It's a Johto fair." Brock said, looking over a paper on the billboard.

"Wow. It's our lucky day." I laughed.

"Maybe we'll see the Pokémon that Emma got." Ash said.

Brock shrugged. "Maybe. Usually they would have the regions professor come down to the fair to show off the starter Pokémon.

"How far is Johto from Kanto?" Lucina asked.

"It's right next door." Misty said.

I looked at her. "Really?"

She nodded. "Sadly, we're both run by that jerk, Lance."

"Who's Lance?" Lucina asked.

"He's the regions champion." Brock explained, scowling. "Not much of a role model to most gym leaders."

Wonder what his problem is. I thought and looked over to the booths. "Shall we?" I asked.

"You bet." Ash said, and we walked through the convention, checking out all the variety of things Johto had to offer.

Meanwhile...

As the St. Anne started making final preparations for departure, Archer, Damien, and a few other Team Rocket grunts began disguising themselves as the ship's maintenance crew.

"Remember: Soren is our top priority, but make sure we strike fear to the hearts of the other trainers in that ship." Damien said.

The grunts nodded, and they ran towards the maintenance section if the ship just before it started moving.

(Soren)

"Looks like we're moving." Lucina said as we all sat at the table, trying out all the variety of foods we bought at most of the booths.

"Man, this Shuckle juice is awesome." Ash said, taking a sip.

"You know that juice is just mixed up berries, right?" Misty asked.

He shrugged. "It's still good."

I laughed as I tried the Cloyster boxed lunch. It was pretty good, I'll admit. It'll still take me a while to get used to not eating bears like we used to back home.

"Looks like some new contestants are signing up for the competition today, folks." An announcer said. "Anyone who wants to try our one on one battle competition is welcome to sign up now."

"One on one, huh? Sounds fun." I said and looked over to Ash.

He nodded. "Let's do it."

"So...you're signing up?" A man behind the counter asked as we signed ourselves in.

Me and Ash nodded. "You bet. Me and Ash."

The man nodded. "Alright then. Good luck." He said and pointed towards the screen behind him. "Just be sure to watch for your cue on the tourney chart."

I nodded. "Alright then. Thanks." I said, and we walked back over to our table.

"Hopefully that dark cloud doesnt hit us." Brock said. "Doesn't look to good."

"We should be back on shore before that storm hits." Lucina said hopefully.

I was about to agree when someone roughly bumped into me from behind, startling me.

"Hey!" I yelled.

He didn't respond. He just kept walking.

"Jerk." Misty muttered.

"He looked familiar." Lucina told me.

"I didn't get a good look." I said and glanced up to the TV screen. "Looks like I'm up."

"Good luck." Lucina called after me.

I smiled back and gave her a thumbs up.

"Alright. This will be a one on one Pokémon battle with no substitutions." The referee announced as I stepped into the trainers spot of the battlefield, taking a good look of the trainer opposing me.

"Let this battle begin!" The ref yelled.

"Alright then. Gligar, come on!" The trainer said, throwing his pokéball.

"Okay, Eevee. Let's do this!" I said as she jumped off my shoulder and landed on the battlefield.

[Black and white]

(As the music starts, Soren commands Eevee to use her Swift, she jumps in the air and hurls the stars at Gligar, only for him to dodge and attempt to attack her with X-scissor.)

It's always hard,

When the journey begins.

Hard to find your way;

Hard to make amends.

But there's nothing you can't do,

'Cause you've got the power inside of you.

(Eevee dodges the attack easily and attacks Gligar with Quick attack, knocking him down to the ground. He immediately gets back up and fires poison sting, only to have Eevee evade it with Protect.)

It's never easy,

To make a choice:

To keep things inside,

Or raise your voice.

But for everyone there comes a time

When the light inside begins to shine.

(Once Gligar stopped using poison sting, Eevee's body glowed and she dashed straight for him and rammed into him, knocking him out. Soren won the battle.)

It's not always right or wrong,

As long as your spirit's strong.

It's not always win or lose,

It's the road you choose;

The answer's within.

(After Soren and Eevee celebrate their first victory, Ash and Pikachu begin their battle against another new trainer with a Marill.)

It's not always black and white,

But your heart always knows what's right.

But let the journey begin—

(Ash commands Pikachu to start the battle with Thundershock, immediately dealing damage to the small, blue mouse and angering it.)

So many choices;

How do we know?

So many places;

Where do we go?

What should I say?

What should I do?

Still, we're together: me and you!

(Marill fires it's bubble attack, but Pikachu dodged them with Quick attack and completely knocked it out.)

It's not always right or wrong,

As long as your spirit's strong.

It's not always win or lose,

It's the road you choose;

The answer's within.

(Back in the ships dining hall, Lucina, Misty and Brock are happily watching their friends compete. Unaware that they were being watched.)

It's not always black and white,

But your heart always knows what's right.

But let the journey begin:

Pokémon!

(Soren begins another battle with Ivysaur, while his new opponent brings out a Flareon. Ivysaurs nervous at first, but Soren encourages him and tells him to use Razor leaf. Flareon dodged the attack and fired Flamethrower, but Ivysaur intercepted it with Bullet seed. The attack proves to be too powerful for Flareon, and immediately wiped out from the seeds.)

There's nothing you can't do,

'Cause you've got the power inside of you.

It's not always right or wrong,

As long as your spirit's strong.

It's not always win or lose,

It's the road you choose;

The answer's within.

(The scenes begin changing as the names of the tourney chart start moving or disappearing. Then Ash and Soren's name collide at the center of the chart.)

It's not always black and white,

but your heart always knows what's right.

Let the journey begin:

Pokémon!

(Soren)

Looks like it's me and Ash. I thought as Eevee jumped off my shoulder.

Pikachu was about to jump into the battle, but ash held him back.

"J never gave Charmander a go yet." He explained to his partner.

Pikachu nods as Ash pulls a pokéball off his belt.

"Okay, Charmander I choose you!" He yelled as he threw the ball.

It snapped open, and there stood his Charmander.

"Okay, Eevee. Let's do this." I said.

"You said it." She replied and braced herself.

"Alright then. Charmander, use Flamethrower, let's go!" Ash commanded.

"Use Protect!" I said.

A green bubble formed around Eevee just as the fire was about to hit her.

"Nice. Now get him with Swift!" I commanded.

Eevee jumped in the air and hurled stars at Charmander.

"Dodge it and use Scratch!" Ash yelled.

Charmander leapt out of the way and jumped towards Eevee, giving her a slight scratch on the side.

"You okay, Eevee?" I asked.

She nodded. "Just a scratch, right?"

I grinned. "That's the spirit, girl. Now use Quick attack!"

"Flamethrower!" Ash said.

As Eevee dashed towards Charmander, he breathed a huge flamethrower out of his mouth, no doubt giving Eevee a huge burn.

"EEVEE!" I yelled.

Suddenly, the flame stopped, and Eevee was laid right next to Charmander. To my surprise, she wasn't burnt up. She was scratched, but not to badly.

Both Eevee and Charmander struggled to get back on their feet, bracing themselves for another attack.

"There we go." I said. "Now, use-"

Suddenly, there was an explosion on the end of the ship, knocking everyone off their feet.

"What the...?" I asked and quickly got up, just to see a bunch of Team Rocket grunts surrounding us.

"Don't hurt Soren!" A familiar voice commanded. "The boss wants him alive."

I wheeled around and saw Archer and Damien start walking down the steps towards us.

"Long time, no see, Soren." He said, grinning.

"Not long enough!" I shot back. "What are you wanting this time?"

He shrugged. As if he didn't know.

"I'm not exactly sure. There's a whole bunch of great stuff to steal on this ship. Pokémon, money, items...your Eevee."

I quickly glanced at her as Damien roughly grabbed her scruff.

"Let go of me!" She yelled.

"Now why would he do that?" Archer demanded. "You're much too valuable to just be let go."

"Cause if you don't, I'll end up blasting you with Flamethrower." She said.

Archer and Damien laughed.

"Oh please. I'm pretty sure you haven't even turned into a-"

Before Damien could finish, Eevee's body enveloped itself with fire, and she became a Flareon, blasting a strong flamethrower in his face, making him let go.

"Told ya." She said as she turned back.

Ash quickly stood up and jumped beside me.

"Pikachu, Thunderbolt, let's go!" He commanded.

Pikachu charged himself up and fired his powerful bolt of lightning, zapping both Archer and Damien.

"Geodude, Rollout!" I heard Brock right behind me.

"Rapid spin, Starmie!" Misty said.

We wheeled around just in time to see the other grunts behind us get walloped by a rock and a water star Pokémon.

Lucina quickly slid down the railing of the stairs and kicked one of the grunts in the face.

She landed right beside me and drew her sword, smiling at me.

I grinned and pulled my silver baton out of my pocket as my Valmese armor started equipping itself on my body.

Just as the helmet fit itself on my head, the trainers around us began to cheer.

"Oh shut it, twerps!" Damien yelled and glared at me. "Who the heck do you think you are anyway?"

"You know me. I'm Soren." I said with my new voice. "But if you creeps want to call me a different name, I'd suggest Master Chief." I told him as Lightbringer began to transform from a baton, to a sword.

Archer began to back away, but then pulled a black rod from his belt and jerked it outwards, extending it.

"Don't think for a second that you can scare me off with some sword, boy." He said. "No when I've got this." He said and pressed a button, and the long rod began cackling with electricity.

An electric baton? I wondered.

Before I coulda react, he tried to attack me with it, but then the ship suddenly jerked, knocking everyone off their feet.

"The storm!" Brock yelled. "It's right on top of us!"

Archer quickly got back in his feet, putting his electrified baton away.

"Team Rocket, retreat!" He commanded. "This ships crippled. It won't be going nowhere." He sneered and took off.

"See you later, losers." Damien laughed. "That is...if you make it off this thing alive."

He ran to catch up, while the other grunts followed him.

"Everyone! We've got to get off this ship!" One of the ships crew yelled. "There are lifeboats on the floor below. Let's move!"

Everyone started making their way towards the different variety of stairs as the jerking if the ship got worse.

"If this keeps up, this ship while be sinking upside down." Misty said.

"We'll be out of here well before that happens." Lucina told her.

Hopefully. I thought.

Suddenly, someone got shoved into us, knocking a pokéball off Ash's belt and sending it bouncing down the hall.

"Butterfree!" Ash yelled and ran after it.

"We should follow him." Lucina said. "He might get left behind."

We agreed and chased after him as he tried to grab the ball.

As we followed him, the jerking of the ship only got worse.

After a few misses, Ash finally got the ball and clipped it back on his belt. "Thought I lost ya." He said.

Suddenly, the ship jerked harder than before, knocking us off our feet as we fell into one of the bedrooms.

I smacked my head on the desk, and I completely blacked out, unaware that we were already sinking upside down.

**oh no. Soren and the team are still on the Anne. What now?**

**thos chapter was pretty dang tricky. I didn't like the way it was in the anime, so I thought "oh, if Team Rocket just crippled the ship, that would make the situation more frightening as a massive storm starts jerking it."**

**oh and note: the Master chief thing...let's just say that...it's not John 117, but it could be the master chief...before the master chief from Halo. I don't own the name. **


	21. Chapter 20

**hey, what's up guys? This is Ace 5niper with another chapter for you. I hope u like it. **

Chapter 20

While Professor Oak and Chrom were away at Cerulean city, Robin, Morgan, Coryn, and Nowi were busy taking care of the Pokémon at the lab when the doorbell sounded.

"I'll go see what's up." Robin told them and walked over to the door.

When she opened the door, Officer Jenny and two other cops stood there with a grim look.

"Are you Robin?" She asked.

Robin nodded. "Yeah, that's me. Why?"

Jenny pulled out two photos. One was of Soren in his suit, and the other had Lucina on the defensive.

"These photos were taken on the St. Anne before it sunk. They defended the other trainers from Team Rocket, but they weren't found with the other survivors." She explained.

Robin looked at her in shock. "You...you mean..."

Jenny nodded. "We're not sure if the two made it out. Or the other three people that are with them."

Ash? Oh no. Robin thought. "They're...they're not dead. They can't be." She said.

"Wait, who's dead?" Morgan demanded.

Both women were silent, but Morgan already understood and started shaking her head desperately.

"No. No, I refuse to believe that!" She said. Soren's not dead. Neither is Lucina."

Jenny tried to reason with her, but the girl immediately broke down in Robins arms.

"I'm...truly sorry." Jenny said and left with the other two cops.

Robin closed the door and slowly walked back up to the lab, where Nowi and Coryn stared at her in shock.

"Dad's...dead?" He asked.

Robin shook her head. "I'm not sure, Coryn." She said.

"If ash was with him...what if he's down there too?" Nowi wondered.

Oh gods I hope not. Robin thought. What will I tell Delia?

(Ash)

"Soren? Soren. Wake up." I heard Lucina cry frantically as I opened my eyes.

"How bad is it?" Misty asked.

"Not sure. Hie hit his head pretty hard." Brock said as I struggled to sit up.

"Ash. You okay?" Eevee asked, sitting beside her unconscious partner.

I nodded and petted Pikachu on the head as he jumped on my shoulder. "What happened?" I asked.

"Were stuck on the Anne." Brock answered. "Who knows how far underwater."

Wait, what? We're...underwater?

"That massive wave knocked the ship over." Misty explained. "I don't how long we were out, but I know that it was long enough."

I shook my head. "This is all my fault."

"Ash, don't blame yourself." Lucina said.

"Why not?" I demanded. "We wouldn't be in this mess if I didn't let Butterfree's pokéball get knocked off."

"Everyone was in a panic, Ash. That would've gapped to anybody." Brock said. "Look, right now, we need to help Soren. He's hurt pretty bad on the head."

"Ow..." He groans, freaking us out.

"Soren?" Lucina asked and gently shook him. "Are you okay?"

He rubs his head and slowly sat up with Lucina's help. "Where are we?"

"We're still on the Anne." Misty said.

Soren looked around. "This...doesn't look like it."

"It's upside down." Eevee told him.

Soren sighed. "Great. This can't get any worse."

Suddenly, the boat rocked a tiny bit, knocking us off our feet.

Weird. Why is it rocking? I wondered and looked out the window, just to see an endless abyss below.

"We must be sitting on some kind of rock." Brock guessed. "That's probably the reason why we're not completely sunk."

I looked upwards and saw the waters surface. It wasn't too far up.

"I think if we grabbed something, like a life boat or whatever, we should be able to make it back up." I said.

"I'm not sure if a lifeboat will work, Ash." Soren warned. "They're all outside."

"What other ideas are there?" Lucina asked.

"There's life pods." Misty suggested.

Brock looked at her in confusion"Life pods?"

She nodded. "You didn't notice them? They're in the bottom of the ship, probably still ready for launch."

"It's worth a look." Lucina shrugged. "I don't want our friends thinking we're dead."

I nodded. I couldn't bear think of mom hearing about this.

Besides. This is all Team Rockets fault. They're the ones that got us in this mess.

"Let's see what's left." Soren said and turned to Brock. "You still got Onix?"

He nodded. "Yeah, why?"

"The stairs of this thing might've gotten damaged." Soren explained. "Onix might make a good staircase."

He nodded. "Alright then. Let's see what we got."

(Soren)

Luckily, my head wasn't hit that hard, so I was all good.

Once we walked out of the overturned bedroom, I was actually relieved to find that the hallway wasn't filled up with water.

"Let's try to take this slow." Misty suggested. "Any sudden movement, and were dead for sure."

True that. I thought.

Once we got to the first staircase leading to the bottom, Brock sent out his Onix, and we quickly ran up the flights of stairs. (Or, in this case. We were running downstairs, since the Anne's upside down.)

"Okay, we should be on the fourth level." Misty said. "Two more flights to go."

"You seem to know a lot about this bucket of bolts." Lucina muttered.

Misty shrugged. "Well, I do have a model of this thing back home."

That works. I thought.

"Now, if there is a life pod...how are we supposed to get it out?" Lucina asked.

"There should be an activation system in the pod." She explained. "Hopefully the water didn't fry it."

Once we hog to the third level, we stumbled across the burning engine room.

"This things still burning?" Ash asked.

I glanced downwards and saw the water level slowly rise.

"We should get out if here. And fast." I said and pulled Ivysaur's pokéball from my belt, sending him out.

Once he was out, I pointed towards the other side.

"Ivysaur, I need you to use Vine whip!" I said.

He nodded and extended his vines, making a small bridge.

"Okay. Let's take it slow." I said and balanced myself as I walked across.

After a little while, everyone else made it across.

"Thanks, Ivysaur." I called over to him and returned him to his pokéball.

"Come on. Let's get to the pod." Misty said, and we continued making our way towards the pods.

Once we arrived, we were relieved to find only one pod left.

"Oh, thank goodness." Lucina sighed.

As the others climbed in, I noticed the glass door starting to crack, pouring small amounts if water in the ship.

"Dang it!" Misty yelled angrily, kicking the wall of the pod. "It's fried."

"Is there any other way out?" Ash asked.

I shook my head. "Not for me." I said and put all the pokéballs in my bag and threw it inside the pod.

"Soren? What are you doing?" Lucina demanded.

"I'm getting you guys out of here." I told her and pointed towards the glass door. "If I can take a blast at that window, this tin can should be able to take off." And with that, I closed the hatch before the others could react.

I'm sorry. I thought as a blue orb formed in my hand. I threw it at the weakened glass window, shattering it and filling the entire room with water as the pod took off.

I tried to swim out as fast as I could before the ship began to capsize, almost trapping me.

Not this time. I thought and just barely missed the wall.

Just as I started swimming to the water surface, My armor began to fit itself on me when something hit my head again, knocking me out.

This just isn't my day. Was my last thought before blacking out, unaware that I was being pulled by something.

(Ash)

"Soren! No!" Lucina yelled as we watched the St. Anne sink the bottom of the ocean.

Once the pod hit the surface, it started turning right side up.

She angrily hits the door with her fist, sobbing over Soren.

We just stood there, full of sorrow over her loss.

"Hello? Is there anyone there?" A voice asked from the console.

We looked at each other in surprise as Misty grabbed the headphones and pressed a button. "Hello. This is the gym leader, Misty. I'm here with three other survivors of the St. Anne."

"We hear you. Your beacon started going off on the radar. We're coming to you right now." The voice said.

Misty nodded. "Okay. We're just beside the debris field."

"Understood." The voice replied and cut the line.

Misty sighed and took the headphones off. "We didn't come with everyone." She said and glanced at Lucina, who was weeping beside Eevee.

I sat beside them, petting Eevee on the head.

"Lucina...I'm so sorry." I said sadly.

She shook her head and put her hand on my shoulder. "It's not on you, Ash." She said. "It's not on you."

I smiled weakly and nodded.

Suddenly, a large horn sounded outside of our pod. We glanced out the window and saw a giant boat sail in front of us.

Misty opened the top hatch and stepped on the top, waving to the people on the boat.

Then, our pod gave a slight jerk, and began to lift out of the water and onto the deck, where Chrom and Professor Oak stood with worry.

"Ash. You're alive." Oak sighed with relief as the officers helped me down.

I nodded. "It's...it's good to see you too, Professor." I said.

"Your mothers worried, but we'll give her a call once we get to Port city." Chrom said and shook his head. "This Team Rocket group has gone too far this time, though."

"You're telling me." Brock said, walking up to us.

Chrom stood there and watched as the officers got Misty and Lucina out of the pod, then started looking around the pod in confusion.

"Wh-where's Soren?" He asked Lucina.

She looked down sadly. But Chrom easily understood and turned to us.

"Do you mind letting us talk alone?" He asked.

Oak shook his head. "Not at all." He told him, and led us to the bridge.

As I followed them, I took a quick glance to Chrom and Lucina, just as she fell in his arms, weeping.

I promise you. Those Team Rocket grunts are going to pay for this.

End of part 1

**oh man. I am so wanting to hunt down any Team Rocket grunt, commander, whatever. No one sinks a cruise ship with the team and gets away with it. **

**Now Soren's MIA. that's going to ruin things. **

**Anyway I hope u liked it. **


	22. Chapter 21

**hey, what's up guys? How's it going? Two more days of school left. Woohoo! Can't wait. Lot of stuff I'm looking forward to. **

**Anyway, I hope you like this chapter. **

Part 2

Chapter 21

(Ash)

I sat at the phone booth at the Pokémon center at Port city, waiting form Mom to pick up.

Come on, Mom...pick up. I thought.

Suddenly the screen changed, and there say my mother.

"Ash? Oh my boy!" She said happily. "Are you hurt?"

I smiled and shook my head. "I'm fine, Mom. Everything's good."

She sighed with relief. "Oh my gosh. I'm so relieved. What happened? Where's Pikachu? Are your other friends safe?"

"Wow, slow down, Mom." I laughed. "Pikachu's getting some rest."

I began explaining the whole incident of the St. Anne. From me and the gang boarding it, to our escape.

She was relieved to hear that Misty, Brock, and Lucina made it out, but was saddened when she heard about Soren. "I'm sure he was a good friend." She said.

I nodded. "He was great, Mom. Chrom and Lucina...they're pretty upset."

She nodded. "I think you should do the right thing and try to support them. Especially his Eevee."

I agreed. "I'll do what I can, but I'm not sure if it'll be enough."

"Just try, Ash. I know you can do it." She assured me. "It would mean a lot to them. And Soren."

I nodded. "Okay. I'll try."

She smiled. "That's my boy. You take good care of yourself. And your friends." She said, and the phone line went dead.

I sighed and sat back on my chair.

Who knows? I wondered. Maybe Soren made it out after all.

(Soren)

My dream started like this:

I was back at that burning village, watching as the same two people from before started running from something.

"Come on!" On the man said. "I know a person that will keep him safe."

The woman nodded and started running faster than before.

I took one good look at the babe in her arms just to see the mark on his hand.

The same mark I have.

That...that means...this is my past. I thought.

After watching the people who I supposed were my parents, they stopped in front of an old man, who I immediately recognized as Byron.

"Byron?" I asked, as if I expected him to respond.

To my surprise, he looked at me.

"Are you understanding your destiny yet, Soren?" He asked, creeping me out, and making me snap awake.

As I looked around the room, my head started to hurt.

"Hey, easy." A young, female voice said beside me. "You hit your head pretty hard."

I rubbed my head. Sure enough, there was more of that head wrapping Oak used on me.

"Where am I?" I asked and started to sit up. "And how'd I get here?"

"You're at a little fishing house not too far from Port city." The girl explained. "And, you were bright here by this little guy."

I glanced over to where I supposed she was sitting. There was this girl sitting there with a Pikachu on her shoulder, petting a Squirtle.

She looked pretty young. Probably around fourteen. She had a long, blonde ponytail and was wearing some kind of yellow dress.

"Who are you?" I asked.

She smiled. "My names Yellow."

Yellow? I thought. Well, it actually suits her.

"You got hit pretty hard on the head." She explained and handed over a bowl with some blue liquid inside. "Drink this. It'll lessen the pain."

I reluctantly took the bowl and took a small sip. Once the flavor hit, I almost speed it.

"Holy cow! It's sour!" I said, feeling as if my mouth was shrinking.

Yellow just laughed. "Of course it is. It's Oran berries, silly."

"I've just never had this kin of sour before." I retorted. "It's like a sweet sour."

"Oran berries do that." She giggled.

I chuckled and drank the rest of the juice. In an instant, the pain in my head was gone.

"Well, for a sour fruit like this, it did the trick." I laughed. "Thanks, Yellow."

She shrugged. "Eh. All I did was help you recover. This Squirtle here is the one that really saved you."

I turned to the little guy and nodded. "Thanks a lot."

He grinned and nodded back.

"Is he yours?" I asked Yellow.

She shook her head. "No. He's wild. I found him dragging you on the beach, that was when I brought you in."

I smiled. "Well...thanks to you both." I said and tried to stand up, but she stopped me.

"You should rest." She suggested. "The Oran berry might've gotten rid of the pain, but you're still pretty weak."

I shook my head. "I've got to get to Port city." I told her. "My friends might be there."

She nodded. "I know they mean a lot to you, but you won't get far with your injuries."

I sighed. I hate to admit it, but she was right. After nearly getting crushed by a giant cruise ship, it'll take a while to recover.

"But...if you want, I can accompany you." She suggested. "Might be able to give more protection from wild Pokémon or Team Rocket."

I looked at her in surprise. "You know of them?"

She nodded sadly. "Lets just say...you're not the only one that's had to deal with them."

"I'm sorry." I said.

She shook her head. "No, it's fine. But you should have a Pokémon to protect yourself with, just in case we get separated."

I nodded. "Thanks. And...I would appreciate it if you did come with me." I said.

She smiled and grabbed a pokéball, throwing it to me. "It's empty, and I'm sure Squirtle would like to help you."

I looked at the little blue water type and grinned. "You want to come with me?" I asked.

He nodded.

"Okay then, Squirtle. Welcome to the group." I said and aimed the button towards him. He pressed it and let himself get absorbed by the ball.

It wobbled in my hand a few times, then clicked.

I got Squirtle.

The only problem was, I wasn't sure if it was locked until I traded in a Pokémon to Oak or not.

To my surprise, the button wasn't glowing red.

I guess since my other Pokémon are with Lucina, that would make this the only Pokémon I have at the moment.

"Well, I recommend waiting till tomorrow, just to be sure enough if you're ready to travel or not." Yellow said and crawled into a sleeping bag on the floor. "Besides, it is pretty dark out."

I glanced out the window and saw that she was right. Traveling at night was pretty dangerous.

I guess I had no place to argue anyway. I thought and laid back on the bed.

I couldn't sleep at first, I couldn't stop thinking about Lucina and Ash.

Hopefully they made it out okay. I thought and glanced over to Yellow, who was already sound asleep.

She looked pretty lonely. Even though she's got a Pokémon of her own.

We'll just see what happens in the morning. I thought and drifted to sleep.

**alright then. Soren's alive and well, and he's got his own Squirtle. Oh, and Yellow's in the mix, now. **

**I think that...since Soren and Ash are like Red, Gary's Blue, and Leaf is Green, I figured I'd just have Yellow as...well, Yellow. Just to make it more interesting. **

**Anyway, hope you enjoyed it. **


	23. Chapter 22

**hey, what's up guys? Here's a new chapter for ya. Hope u like it. **

Chapter 22

(Soren)

The next morning, Yellow checked my head injury, and apparently I checked out okay.

"Let's get you to your friends." She said and grabbed her bag.

"What about your house?" I asked, looking around.

"Oh, this isn't mine. Apparently, it's open to anyone that happens to come across it." She explained as her Pikachu (who she named Lily) jumped on her shoulder.

"You ready?" She asked.

I nodded and stood up, but then a sharp pain coursed through my left leg.

"Didn't see that coming." She said worriedly and grabbed a neatly carved rod from the wall. "Use this. It should help."

"What's wrong with my leg?" I asked, pained.

"It's just sprained, but you should lean on the stick more to lessen the stress. It'll get better as we walk." She explained.

I nodded and slowly pulled myself back up with the stick.

"Well, I got your stuff." She said and handed me my leather jacket, my Valmese gauntlets, and Lightbringer.

"Thanks." I said, smiling as I slipped the jacket on.

She nodded. "Let's get you to your friends." She said.

I smiled. "Yeah. Let's get going."

We left the small house, making sure there was nothing left behind.

"So...how long have you been on your journey?" She asked.

I shrugged. "Not too long. I've won three badges so far. You?"

She shook her head. "I'm...I'm not a trainer."

"What about Lily? She's yours, right?" I wondered.

She shrugged. "I found her when she was just a baby Pichu." She explained, petting her friend. "We've been working beside each other for a while, but I never had the guts to talk to Professor Oak for a pokédex."

I nodded. "Well, I guess that if Professor Oak is at Port city, I could arrange for you to get your own pokédex."

She looked. "Thanks, but...I don't know."

I grinned. "Look. I owe ya. You saved my life. You deserve this much."

She smiled. "Thanks Soren. And...you're welcome."

I laughed and started walking ahead.

"Who do you think is going to be there?"

I shrugged. "Lucina, hopefully. Along with Ash, Misty, and Brock."

"I bet they're great people." She said.

I nodded. "They sure are."

"Can you tell me about them?" She asked.

I looked at her and smiled. "Sure. I'll try."

"There's Ash. He turned ten a little while ago, but he's pretty good at battling for a novice." I explained.

"Misty and Brock are gym leaders. They decided to travel with us after me and Ash defeated them."

"And...what about Lucina?" She asked.

I stopped walking and glanced at the pin she gave me once.

"Lucina...she's the best friend I ever had." I sighed. "Of course, there's another good friend of mine I consider family as well, but she...she saved my life more times than I can remember."

"Girlfriend?" She asked, referring to Lucina.

I nodded. "Yeah."

She smiled. "Well, I'm sure she'll be there. I mean, it might be awhile before they begin their travels."

True. I thought. We must've lost some stuff when we escaped the Anne.

"Well, well, well. Look who survived." A familiar voice sneered behind us.

We wheeled around, and there stood Damien.

"You!" I said angrily and extended the blades on my gauntlets.

He laughed. "Oh please. You really expect to hurt me? In the state your in?"

I gritted my teeth. "You have no business being here." I said.

He scoffed. "Well, when you work with Team Rocket, you have business to everything. Even if it's unwanted to someone like you, "Master chief"." He said.

"Master chief?" Yellow asked.

Damien looked at her in disgust. "Who's this? Your new partner? I thought you had that Eevee?"

"Just shut your mouth, Damien!" I yelled. "Leave her out of this!"

He looked at me in mock surprise. "Well. What happened to you? New loyalty or something?" He chuckled.

I angrily pulled Squirtle's pokéball off my belt.

"Well...you do have a Pokémon." He said and pulled two pokéballs off his belt. "Let's see how he stands against two."

I braced myself, but then Yellow stepped beside me, with Lily bouncing off her shoulder.

"He's not alone!" She told him.

"Aww. How cute." Damien scoffed. "No matter. You'll both pay."

"Not this time." I said and threw my pokéball. "Go, Squirtle!"

The pokéball snapped open, and there stood Squirtle.

"Pfft. Those Pokémon would never last against these guys!" He said and threw his pokéballs.

They snapped open, and there stood a black dog like Pokémon, and a Pokémon with his body on fire.

"Let's see what we're dealing with here." I said and glanced at my pokédex.

"Magmar. The Spitfire Pokémon. Magmar can be found near the mouth of a volcano. This fire-breather's body temperature is nearly 2,200 degree Fahrenheit. Current moves: Flamethrower, Lava plume, Fire punch, and Ember."

Okay, so Squirtle should stand a chance. I thought and scanned the dog.

"Houndour. The Dark Pokémon. Around dawn, Houndour's ominous howl echoes through the area to announce that this is its territory. Current moves: Bite, Foul play, Flamethrower, and Beat up."

He's also a dark and fire type. I thought. Squirtle will win.

"Okay. Squirtle, let's see what you can do." I said and scanned him.

"Squirtle knows Water gun, Rapid spin, and Bubble."

"Okay then. Let's do this." I said. "Squirtle, use Water gun on Magmar!" I commanded.

"Use thunderbolt on Houndour, Lily." Yellow said.

Both Pokémon obeyed and launched their attacks on Damien's.

"Dodge them. Both of you!" He said.

Both Pokémon jumped to the side, but Lily's thunderbolt hit Houndour pretty good.

"Nice one, Lily." Yellow said.

I nodded. "Now hit Magmar with Rapid spin!" I commanded.

Squirtle shrunk into his shell and spun straight towards Magmar.

"Catch it!" Damien yelled.

Magmar caught it easily, waiting for further instructions.

"Now use flamethrower on him!" He ordered.

"Squirtle, get out of there!" I yelled.

Before he could move, Magmar blew a massive flamethrower in one of the holes of the shell and threw it towards us. Squirtle popped out, and he was already covered in burn marks.

Oh man. I thought.

"Lily, use Thunderbolt!" Yellow commanded.

"Squirtle. Come on. Get up." I said.

I felt awful. As if..as if I wasn't in sync with Pokémon anymore.

"Come on, bud." I said desperately.

He struggled getting back on his feet, but almost stumbled.

"Beat him down with Fire punch." Damien said.

"Squirtle!" I yelled as Magmar gave Squirtle a beating with his flaming fist.

"Block it!" I yelled.

Suddenly, Squirtle caught the last fist from hitting him.

Looks like I'm still in sync after all.

"Lily, use Electro ball!" Yellow yelled. "Help Squirtle!"

Lily nodded as a ball of electricity formed on her tail. She jumped and hurled it, sending it towards Magmar, and giving him a good shock, and knocking him back.

"Thanks, Yellow." I said. "Now use Water gun, Squirtle!" I commanded.

Squirtle jumped up and shot water from his mouth, dousing Magmar.

"Nice. Now use Rapid spin!"

"Catch it again!" Damien snarled.

"Use Quick attack on Houndour, Lily!" Yellow commanded.

Lily dashed straight towards Houndour as Squirtle spun around towards Magmar. Magmar easily caught him again, preparing to blow another Flamethrower.

Oh no. If he does it again, we're toast. I thought.

Suddenly, Magmar stopped prepping his attack. I thought I was seeing things, but it looked like he didn't want to hurt him.

"Attack, you fool!" Damien yelled.

Magmar hesitated, looking at me. As if he was saying "go ahead. I won't blame you."

Then I got the idea.

"Squirtle, use Water gun!" I commanded.

A blast of water came out of the big hole on Squirtle's shell, completely dousing him in water.

"Nice one, bud!" I cheered. "Now use Bubble on Houndour!"

Squirtle jumped out of Magmar's grip as the big guy fainted, and blew some small bubbles at Houndour, who was too distracted dealing with Lily as she attacked him with Quick attack.

Both attacks hit him, dealing more damage.

"Nice one!" Yellow cheered.

I nodded. "Okay, Squirtle. Finish him off with Water gun!" I commanded.

"Hit him with Thunderbolt!" Yellow said.

Both Pokémon fired their attacks at Houndour. After being side by side, the attacks combined, making it a water thunderbolt.

"Block it with Flamethrower!" Damien yelled.

The dark dog blew a massive flamethrower out of his mouth, trying to block the attack.

It wasn't enough. Before long, the water immediately knocked away the flames and hit him, knocking him out after a good wet shock.

Damien stared at us with both disgust and shock. "You're so going to pay. Giovanni now gave us orders to hint you, or any of your friends down." He snarled and glared at the unconscious Magmar. "I have no need of this weakling anyways." He sneered.

And with that, the threw Magmar's ball on the ground and smashed it with his foot.

Magmar was freed.

I ran by the fire Pokémon's side as his former trainer walked away.

"You best watch your back." He said.

I gritted my teeth and helped the big Pokémon up as Yellow gave him an Oran berry.

"How you feeling?" I asked him.

Magmar nodded happily as he ate the berry. We watched as the flames on his body begin to flicker with life again.

"Well. You're good to go then." Yellow said, and we helped the Pokémon get back on his feet.

Once he was standing up, he happily patted us on the back.

I quickly glanced to the back of my jacket, making sure he didn't burn it. There's one thing I learned when I was a Shepherd: if there's a creature with his body on fire, make sure he doesn't burn your clothes if he pats you on the back.

"Well. That guys no longer going to be messing with you no more." Yellow told him, checking her dress for a burn. "You're free now."

Magmar nodded and looked at me.

"What?" I asked. "I'm sorry, but I don't have any pokéballs on me. They're with Lucina."

Magmar nodded, but he still stayed.

"I guess he really wants to come with you." Yellow laughed.

I smiled. "Well, I guess it won't hurt." I said. "Once we regroup with Lucina, I'll be sure to catch you."

He grunted happily and was about to pat my back again, but I stopped him.

"Woah there. I don't want you to burn me up before we get there though." I laughed.

He shrugs, as if he was saying "Sorry, I can't help it."

"Let's get on over to Port city." Yellow said.

I nodded. And we continued making our way to the city with Magmar.

But still. I can't stop thinking about why Giovanni wants me so bad.

(Ash)

"Well. I ran to the store and bought some supplies." Brock said, coming back from the Poké mart.

"We're going back on the road?" Lucina wondered.

He nodded. "Yeah. We still gotta get Ash to Saffron. Remember?" He questioned.

"It's...it's no fun without Soren though." I muttered.

Lucina nodded sadly, but she didn't say anything.

Chrom walked in, sitting right beside us.

"We were able to explain things to Officer Jenny." He explained and scowled. "Sadly, they can't seem to find anything on Team Rocket. They're like a ghost. Once they're done causing mischief, they vanish."

"Great. That's just perfect." I grumbled.

He patted my shoulder. "Don't worry, Ash. Me and Robin will go looking for them." He assured me.

I nodded. "Okay."

"In the meantime, why don't you guys continue your journey. Soren would want you to." He said.

"Yeah. He would." I agreed.

"Professor Oak is at the gate, waiting for you." He said. "Good luck."

"Thanks, Dad." Lucina said, and we left the Pokémon center.

(Soren)

Once we got to the top of the sandy dune, we got a pretty good look at Port city.

"Whelp. There it is." Yellow said.

I smiled and nodded. "Yep. Port city, dead ahead."

And hopefully, Lucina's still there. I thought.

"Let's get going." Yellow said, and we walked towards the city, with our hopes held high.

**alright then. Looks like there's a trainer growing inside Yellow after all. And Soren's got a friendly Magmar following him. **

**You can guess what might happen next chapter, so...yeah. I hope u enjoyed. **


	24. Chapter 23

**guess what time it is, guess what time it is. Summertime! Woohoo! Three months of freedom. **

**So, as Ace 5niper 117, I hereby hand over my first chapter if the summer. I hope you enjoy. **

Chapter 23

(Soren)

"Excuse me, have you seen anyone around here that looks like this?" I asked a passerby officer, showing him a photo of myself and Lucina.

"Oh, the girl? Yeah. She was at the Pokémon center with three others, and an Eevee." He explained.

"Where are they, now?" Yellow asked.

He pointed down the street. "They're on their way out of the city. Professor Oak's meeting them there."

"Great. Thanks." I said and ran down the street with Yellow and Magmar following.

First helpful person after five tries. I thought, bitterly.

(Ash)

"Well, Ash. You ready?" Oak asked.

I nodded. "Yep. I'm ready."

He smiled and put a hand on my shoulder. "Soren would want you to go on."

It's just not the same without him. I thought and noticed a pokédex in his hand.

"What's with the extra pokédex?" I asked.

"Well. I might need to see if your current one is damaged." He said.

I pulled it out and handed it to him. He opened and closed the flap, then pressed the power button.

"Well. It works." He said.

"I guess you'll need to find someone else to give it to." Misty said.

The professor nodded. "Perhaps..." He started staring past us.

"What?" I asked.

For a second, it looked like he was trying to focus past the crowd. Then he smiled. "Well. Looks like things won't be different after all." He said.

Confused, we wheeled around and saw someone with a walking stick and head wrapping on him.

As he got closer, I realized that...it was Soren.

"S-Soren?" Lucina asked, tears welling up in her eyes as she started running towards him.

He's alive! I thought happily when I noticed the girl with the yellow dress.

"Who's that?" Misty asked.

"Who cares? Soren's alive!" I said and ran to follow Lucina.

(Soren)

"Don't you hate crowds?" Yellow muttered as we tried to push through a rough crowd, trying to get to the gate.

"Always." I replied. "I've hated them for a long-"

"Soren!" A voice yelled.

I looked around, trying to locate the person that called my name when Yellow tapped my arm.

"Is that her?" She asked, pointing to someone trying to get through the crowd.

After watching the person pass some people, I got a good look at the face.

It was Lucina.

I laughed, my eyes welling up with tears as she tackled me in a hug, squeezing so hard, I thought she was going to crush my back.

"Oh gods. I thought you were dead." She cried. "I thought you were dead."

I smiled. "Takes more than Team Rocket to kill me, right?" I whispered.

She laughed. She then pulled away, kissed me, then hugged me even tighter.

"Okay. You're killing me now." I said. "I've still got some injuries to deal with after a boat tried to crush me."

"Oh, sorry." She said and pulled away again, laughing.

"Soren!" Ash yelled, stopping right in front of me.

"Hey, bud." I said and ruffled his hair.

"Good to see you again." Brock said.

"We were devastated when you destroyed that window." Misty said, giving me a soft punch on the shoulder. "Don't do that again."

"Yes. Don't." Lucina agreed and glared at me.

I just shrugged. "Hey, had to find some way to get you guys out alive." I retorted. "Plus, I was trying to follow you, but then the Anne tried to drown me."

"That's no excuse." Yellow said, smiling.

I looked at her. "Okay, whose side are you on?"

She just laughed. "Hey, you pretty much got yourself in that mess."

I shook my head. "Very funny. " I muttered.

"Who is this?" Lucina asked.

"I'm...Yellow." She said. "I helped Soren recover."

Lucina smiled at her. "Thank you, Yellow."

She smiled back. "You guys are welcome." She said, bit then cowers behind me as Oak walks up to us.

"It's great to see you again, Soren." He said.

"You too, Professor." I said.

He nodded and looked past my shoulder. "I see you there, Yellow."

She slowly comes from her hiding place and smiled nervously.

"Hey, Professor. Long time no see, huh?" She asks.

He chuckled. "It sure has been awhile, hasn't it?"

"Wait, you two know each other?" Ash asked.

Yellow nodded. "I was supposed to meet with Professor Oak when I turned ten, but then..." She looked down sadly. "Team Rocket...attacked my hometown and..."

"You lost your parents." Lucina said.

Yellow nodded. "Yeah. I was too afraid to become a trainer, so I just started traveling alone. Until I met Lily here." She explained, petting her partner.

Oak sighed. "I'm really sorry, Yellow. I truly am. I understand why you couldn't come to me and ask to start your journey."

"But...that doesn't mean that you can't start it now." Lucina said.

She looked at her. "What do you mean?"

"Why don't you come with us?" Lucina suggested. "It'll be great."

"It's the least we could do after you helped Soren." Ash said.

Oak nodded. "They're right, Yellow. You still have what it takes."

"Heck ya, she does." I agreed. "Just earlier today, we ran into Damien, and Yellow here was going crazy. I've never seen anyone battle the way she did."

Oak nodded. "See? You still got it." He said and handed the pokédex to her. "You can still become a trainer...if you want."

Yellow stared at the pokédex for a bit, then started laughing.

"You guys..." She said. I noticed a tear fall from her face. "Thank you so much."

I put my hand on her shoulder. "I'm the one that should be thanking you, Yellow." I told her. "If it wasn't for you...I wouldn't be standing here."

She smiled. "Thanks."

I nodded.

"Oh, and by the way..." Lucina said, throwing me my bag. "I think you dropped this."

"And me." Eevee said, popping her head out of the bag.

"Good to see you too, Eevee." I laughed as she jumped on my shoulder.

I checked the other pokéballs in my bag, and the buttons were already blinking red.

"Looks like I'll have to send in some Pokémon before we head out." I said.

Ash shrugged. "Hey, we got time."

I grinned and ran to the Pokémon center, ready to one: let the others know I'm not dead, and two: make sure I have the right amount of Pokémon.

"Soren?! You're alive." Robin said after she picked up the phone.

I laughed. "It's good to see you too, Robin." I said.

Suddenly, the screen was filled with the faces of Nowi, Robin, and Coryn.

I laughed. "It's great to see you guys too." I said.

"We were so worried." Nowi said.

"Devastated, Nowi. We were devastated." Morgan corrected.

"So...what can we do for you?" Robin asked.

"Well apparently, I've got too many Pokémon on me." I explained.

"Okay then. If you send in some Pokémon, we'll take care of them." She said.

I thought about it, then made my decision.

I sent in Sandslash. I'm pretty sure she missed Onix. Then I sent in my newly caught Magmar.

"Don't worry, bud. I'll call you up when I need ya." I told him as I caught him.

Once Magmar's ball was sent to Robin, the other five pokéballs stopped blinking red.

"Well, I'm all set." I said. "Thanks for all your help."

"We're just glad you're not dead, Soren." Robin replied.

I grinned. "I told you guys before: it'll take more than a bunch of grunts to get me."

"I wouldn't get too cocky." She said. "After all, you almost lost your life...at least three times now."

I chuckled. "Yeah. I guess you're right."

She smiled. "You be careful, Soren. You're family too, you know."

I nodded. "I'll be sure to." I said and hung up.

"We hitting the road, now?" Eevee asked.

I smiled and patted her head. "We sure are."

"Not without saying goodbye to me, you're not." A familiar voice said behind us.

I sighed. "Figured you'd say that, old friend." I said and turned around, looking straight at Chrom, eye to eye.

He laughed as we did our old warrior handshake. "It's good to see you."

I nodded. "You too, Chrom."

He smiled, then slowly hung his head. "Team Rocket...what are they trying to prove?" He asked sadly.

"I don't know, but they won't be the only gang we run into. That's for sure."

"That might be true, but...they've gone too far." He scowled.

I nodded. "I know. And I'll be sure to stop them if they get in my way again."

"Right." He said. "And I'll be sure to figure out their actual headquarters if I can."

"Right." I replied and grinned. "Just like old times, huh?"

He chuckled. "Just like old times."

"You ready to go?" Ash asked as I walked back up to the city gate. "You were gone pretty long."

I laughed. "Yeah. Just catching up with Chrom." I said.

"Well then...let's get to Saffron." Lucina said.

I looked over the people of our group.

Two gym leaders, a novice trainer, two Ylissean warriors, and our newest recruit: Yellow.

Yep. I'm definitely in good hands. I thought as we walked out of Port city's gate, continuing our Pokémon journey.

**alright then. Yellows a trainer, Soren reunited with his group, and everybody knows he's alive. (Which can also be bad, right?)**

**anyway. Hope u liked it. And have an awesome summer. **


	25. Chapter 24

**hey, what's up guys? This is Ace with a new chapter for ya. **

**Now, this one might get a lit lttle bit confusing for most of you guys. I understand that. If there's a concern on your mind, please let me know. **

**Anyway, enjoy. **

Chapter 24

(Soren)

"So, where are we all headed, again?" I asked as we walked through the route. "I kinda forgot after the boat hit my head."

"Well, there's a town called Lavender that's on the way to Saffron city." Lucina explained, looking over the town map.

"Lavender? Oooohhhh." Yellow muttered.

"What's wrong with that place?" I asked.

Yellow rubbed her foot against the ground. "That town isn't normally welcoming to outsiders."

Friendly place. I thought.

"Luckily, we don't have to travel far." Lucina explained. "But the sooner we get there and leave, the better. I'm not a fan of unwelcoming towns."

"Me neither." I agreed.

"How far do we have to go anyways?" Misty asked.

"Well like I said, not far. We just have to get through Maidens Peak, then there's a giant bluff we could bypass, then we're there." She replied.

"You always make it sound so easy, Lucina." Me and Eevee said in unison and laughed.

She rolled her eyes, smiling. "I always do, huh?" She asked, softly punching my shoulder.

Everyone else started laughing at Lucina's comment.

"It's good to have you back, Soren." Misty said.

I smiled. "It's good to be back." I replied.

"Now, if I didn't know any better, I'm pretty sure you like the walking stick." Yellow laughed.

I shrugged. "What? It feels good in my hand." I retorted.

"Well, it might be able to help you use your new ability better." Brock suggested. "My father told me that people that had the ability to use aura, they usually had a staff."

Makes sense. I thought.

Suddenly, everything around us started to get foggy.

"What's with the fog?" Lucina asked.

"We can't be bear Lavender yet." Yellow said.

"Lavender's foggy?" Ash asked.

"Twenty-four seven." She replied, nervously glancing at each direction.

"Ohhhh, I hate fog." Eevee muttered. "Too creepy."

Then, out of nowhere, we started hearing some noise. Like laughter.

Eevee immediately hid behind my neck.

"What was that?" Misty shuddered.

I grabbed the baton, bracing myself for...whatever the heck that is.

We slowly started to walk forward, making sure we weren't taken by surprise.

We waited for a few seconds, but nothing happened.

"Looks like there's nothing." I said and walked forward, straight into a wall.

"What the...? Where'd that come from?" I demanded.

Lucina cracked up, then burst out laughing.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. It's just...Ho man. That reminds me of Severa walking into an invisible house." She said, laughing so hard, I thought she was going to pass out or something.

I rolled my eyes, laughing as she and Ash helped me up.

"What was that wall doing here, anyway?" Ash wondered.

"Probably goes to some estate or something." Brock guessed.

I nodded. "Maybe."

"Uh...guys?" Lucina said. "This is Maidens Peak."

We looked at her in confusion.

"This is Maidens peak?" Ash asked.

"Why's it so creepy?" Yellow asked.

I pressed my hand on the wall. It didn't feel as hard as it should, so I pushed on it, and it eventually feel through.

"The entire wall's old." I said and looked through the giant hand shaped hole.

"You see anyone?" Misty asked.

I shook my head. "Nope. Nothing."

"Please don't tell me it's haunted." Yellow whimpered.

I shook my head again. "I'm not sure if it is, Yellow. But I see the gate."

"You're not saying we should stay here, are you?" Lucina asked.

"No. Just to explore." I replied. "Who knows, maybe we'll find a Pokémon or something."

"Hopefully it's not a ghost type." Yellow muttered.

"You're afraid of ghost type Pokémon?" Misty asked as I tried to break through the hole.

"Hey, everyone's scared of something." Yellow replied.

True. I thought asi successfully broke through the old, worn down wall.

"You really had to do that?" Misty asked.

"This place is abandoned. Nobody's lived here in...years." I explained as I noticed something fly by. It looked almost like a dark cloud.

"What?" Lucina asked.

I shook my head. "Nothing. I'm all good." I replied and helped the others get through.

"Okay...why are we entering an abandoned estate?" Yellow asked as I helped her through.

"Just to look around." I said. "Plus, it's getting dark, so we may have to stay here for a bit."

"Ugh, I hope not." She whimpered.

I smiled and quickly glanced towards the stones on my gloves as they started glowing.

"What's up with that?" Yellow asked.

I shrugged. "I don't really know. It started acting up ever since that old construction site."

"That was you?" She asked as we tried to catch up to the others.

I looked at her. "What do you mean?"

"You were that bright beam of light at Vermillion city?" She questioned.

I shrugged. "I don't recall seeing a long beam of light coming from me. Besides, I was too busy protecting everybody from old beams."

She laughed. "Well. I think that light was you."

It probably was. I thought.

"Man. Whoever left this place didn't do a good job at cleaning." Ash muttered as he tried to push the door open. "There must be thousands of stuff behind this thing."

I tapped his shoulder. "You might want to move over." I warned.

He jumped out of the way, and I gave the door a good kick, breaking it open.

As we walked in, I looked behind the door and saw a few old weapons.

"Holy cow!" Lucina said in awe. "No ones been here for probably...thousands of years."

"That explains the swords." I muttered as I picked one up. Surprisingly, it was still sharp.

"Wow. Dad would enjoy hearing about this discovery." Lucina admitted. "If we really had to rush into a war, we have our supplies right here."

"What makes you think we'll enter a war?" Yellow asked.

"Well, Soren believes that the events back home at Ylisse, and our Team Rocket, are leading to something." Misty explained.

I shrugged. "What? Look at all the trouble they brought us. How do we know there wouldn't be another group waiting for us in Johto? Or Hoenn?"

"He's got a point." Lucina said. "Their boss wouldn't know we were here unless someone told him. Someone that knew Soren...before."

"What?" I asked.

She looked at me with worry. "Do you think...Validar told him?"

"Validar's dead, Lucina." I told her. "He wouldn't be able to tell anyone."

She shrugged. "I don't know...he is a dark wizard."

Good point. I thought and quickly glanced back at my gloves as they started to glow more brighter than before.

"There must be something here that your aura is reacting to." Brock guessed.

I nodded. "Right. Let's look around this place and see what it is."

Once everyone agreed, we started checking the house in groups for whatever my aura was reacting to.

"What do you think it's reacting to?" Lucina asked as we walked through a long corridor.

I shrugged. "I'm not exactly sure, Lucina. But if I had a guess, I'd say it's something that has something to do with my mark."

"What do you think it is?" She wondered.

I shrugged again. "Don't know. But the sooner we find it, the-"

Suddenly, the ground gave away below us, and we fell into a dark room.

"What the...? What happened?" I demanded.

"No idea." Lucina retorted. "But that step was a doozy."

Yeah. No kidding. I thought as I stood up.

As we tried to find out what happened, the stones began to glow more brighter than before, illuminating the room.

"Good thing you had those." Lucina admitted.

I grinned. "Well, let's see if we can found a way out of here." I said, and we tried to walk through the dark corridor.

(Ash)

"So Ash...where'd you get your Pikachu?" Yellow asked as we walked into the main hall.

"Pikachu's my starter Pokémon." I explained, petting my partner on the head. "We didn't really get along at first, but things got better after an attack from some Spearow."

Yellow shuddered. "Ugh. Spearow. Not the friendliest kind of Pokémon you could find in Kanto, huh?"

I laughed. "Yeah...they're pretty hostile. I'll admit."

She smiled and petted her partner. "Me and Lily go way back." She said. "Ever since I found her back in Viridian forest."

I looked at her in surprise. "You found her in Viridian forest? As a Pichu?" I asked.

She nodded and shrugged. "I guess I just...got lucky."

I nodded in understanding. "Makes sense."

"So. After the Kanto league, what are you planning to do?" She asked.

I shrugged. "I'm not sure. I might run over to Johto or Hoenn for some new adventures."

She nodded. "That sounds good. You got family over there too?" She asked.

I shook my head. "Nah. It's just me and my mom back home in Pallet town."

As soon as I mentioned home, I couldn't help but remember that girl I met at Professor Oaks summer camp.

I haven't seen her since I was eight. I thought. I wonder how she's doing.

"You okay? You're awfully quiet all of a sudden." Yellow said.

I shook away the thought. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just recalling something, that's all."

She smiled and we walked on through the house.

Hopefully the other guys had more luck than we did.

(Soren)

"Dang it. I hate pitfalls." I muttered as we kept stumbling over each other in the dark corridor.

Lucina kept laughing as we tripped over each other's feet, unknowingly bumped into each other, who knows what else?

"So much for bright stones." She giggled.

I rolled my eyes, smiling.

Suddenly, the wall I had my hand on for guidance gave away, making me fall into a more lit room than before.

"Seriously." I grumbled. "Someone really should've noticed this place is in shambles."

Lucina laughed and helped me up. "You know, you're totally that funny boy I met back home." She said.

I scoffed. "Yeah, I was pretty clumsy at times, wasn't I?"

She smiled, then glanced over my shoulder.

"Oh wow Soren. Look at that." She said in awe.

I wheeled around and stepped back in surprise.

Right in front of me...sat the most incredible looking sword I have ever seen, with the blade sitting inside of a stone.

"Woah...what's a weapon like that doing down here?" I asked, slowly walking towards it. "Especially in the Pokémon world?"

As I got closer, the stones on my gloves started glowing brighter than ever. Then the inside of my right glove started glowing with a bright white light.

"I think I know what my aura's reacting to." I said and stepped forward.

As I got closer, I noticed the scabbard and a belt with a medium sized knife and...another sword?

Where'd this stuff come from? I thought.

Once I was right in front of the sword, I took one quick look at the craftsmanship. Whoever did this was busy. The blade was blue and double edged, and it looked like it was made by the crystals I found back at Pewter city. It had a fuller, with a small notch near the guard with my mark.

The hilt was nicely done too. It was black, but had some nice silver lines on its grip. And it's guard was shaped like wings with a gold gem-like triangle with three weird marks in each corner. The top point being the rain guard.

I grabbed the hilt and pulled upwards. The blade glowed as it started sliding out of the stone, freeing itself from its grip.

Once the blade was completely free, it stopped glowing and sat there in my hand.

"Wow." I said when I observed it. "Who made this?"

Lucina shrugged. "I'm not really sure, but whoever did...must've known you'd be here someday."

"It's not the place I would expect to find a sword like this though."

She nods. "True."

I looked over to the scabbard and the belt and picked them up, looking over the weapons.

The knife was the same way as the sword. Crystal blade, black hilt.

The other sword was different though. The hilt looked like a regular sword, but the blade was a mixture of gold and silver.

"Man, this is amazing." I said as I put the sword back in its scabbard.

"Team Rocket better think twice before messing with you." Lucina laughed.

"Yeah, but it doesn't mean I'll be using this when we meet them." I retorted. "Especially with Ash and the others."

She nodded. "True."

I grinned. "But you're right. They'd better think twice." I said and sheathed the crystal sword.

I was about to slip on the belt with the shoulder strap, but then I got a better idea.

I quickly took the knife and cut a small hole on the right shoulder and lower left side.

Once I got the crystal sword on my back, then clipped on my new belt, I quickly clipped my other pokéballs to it.

"Alright then. Looks like I'm all set." I said. "They're pretty light. I'll tell you that."

"Then I'm pretty sure they'll work well with you." Lucina agreed.

I smiled and noticed the shield with a design of some reindeer-like Pokémon with a ring around its body facing us.

Sitting beside it was a long black staff with a silver lining spiraling down.

"Looks like I hit the jackpot." I said and clipped the shield on my back, grabbing the staff.

"Let's find a way out of here." I said, turning around just to see the dark cloud right in front of me.

"Woah!" I yelled and stepped back.

The cloud laughed, then stared at me.

"What are you?" I asked as I activated my pokédex.

"Gastly. The Gas Pokémon. Its body is made of gas. Despite lacking substance, it can envelop an opponent of any size and cause suffocation. Gastly is a Ghost and Poison type Pokémon. Gender: female. Current moves: Hypnosis, Shadow ball, and Night shade."

"So, your a poisonous ghost." I assumed. "Not bad."

Gastly smiled. To be honest, she didn't seem as scary as I thought. She looked rather...lonely.

"Doesn't look like you got anyone to play with, huh?" I asked.

She frowned and shuddered. It took me a second to figure that she was shaking her head.

I pulled a spare pokéball from my bag and aimed it at her.

"What do you say you come with us?" I asked.

She looked at me with a surprised look, then nodded happily.

She tapped the button of the ball, and she was immediately absorbed.

The ball wobbled a few times, then clicked.

Gastly was caught.

"Welcome to the group, Gastly." I said.

The button was blinking red again, so we'll have to look for a Pokémon center once we get out of here.

"Come on. Let's go find the others." Lucina said.

I nodded and glanced over to the basement doors.

Now how do we get that open? I thought rhetorically and readied a blue sphere in my palm. I threw it at the door, immediately destroying it.

"There's our way out." I said and started climbing the steps, straight back outside.

"Soren! Lucina!" We heard Brock yell behind us.

We looked over our shoulders, noticing Brock, Misty, Yellow, and Ash run towards us.

"What happened?" Ash asked.

Me and Lucina exchanged confused glances.

"What do you mean?" I wondered.

"Something happened down there, and this fog completely let up. As if it was never here." Yellow explained.

She was right. The fogs gone.

"Well, we found a Pokémon center." Brock acknowledged and pointed down the hill from where we stood.

What are the odds of that? I thought.

"Let's get down there and cool off." I said. "I don't know about you, but that basement was pretty hot."

The others nodded, then Ash noticed the sword and gear I was wearing.

"What is that?" He asked.

I smiled. "I'll explain once we get there." I told him.

And with that, we started heading down the hill towards the Pokémon center.

**okay then. Soren got Gastly, and...quite a stash of weapons from the past. Or...are they from the past?**

**anyway, hope you like it. Don't forget to review. **


	26. Chapter 25

**hey, what's up guys? It's Ace with another new chapter for ya. Hope u like it. (Since it was supposed to post seven days ago, Siri.)**

Chapter 25

(Soren)

Once we arrive to the Pokémon center, I quickly ran to the phone to call Robin.

"Back for a Pokémon already?" She asked and saw the hilt of the sword on my back. "What...are you wearing?"

"I'll explain later." I replied. "Right now I just need to send in a Pokémon real quick."

She nodded. "Okay then, who are you sending?"

I pulled a pokéball off my belt. "I'll send in Pidgey."

She nodded as I placed the ball on the platform and sent it to the lab.

"Alright. She's here." Robin announced, holding the ball.

I nodded. "Thanks. Now, do you know where Chrom is by chance?"

She shook her head. "No...he's still at Cerulean. But...we haven't heard from him in a while."

"Well, earlier we found this house full of weapons from the past. They're still sharp...so in case we run into anything more sinister that an evil gang, I figured we might need them. Just in case."

She fiddled with the strand of hair in front of her eye. (That's her way of thinking these days.)

"I...I would recommend leaving those weapons there for the time being." She suggested. "But I'm sure we might need them later."

I nodded. "Alright then. Thanks for taking care of Pidgey."

She smiled. "Anytime." She replied and hung up.

Well...she does make a good point on the swords. I thought and walked over to the Pokémon centers restaurant, where Lucina, Ash, Yellow, and Misty were laughing about a story Brock was telling them.

"Yeah. I've never seen Onix run from water that fast in my life." He said, laughing. "I was so busy cracking up, I couldn't even return him to his pokéball to rest after running into a big tree."

"What's this all about?" I asked as I sat down.

"Brock's telling us about the time when he became a Pokémon trainer." Lucina explained.

I looked at him. "What happened?"

He scratched the back of his head. "Well...okay. So, after I left Pewter on my tenth birthday with my Onix, we weren't really on to a good start. Day after day, we kept on running into angry clans of Beedrill, some flocks of Spearow, even an Ursaring ran after us."

"What you do to anger them so much?" Eevee asked.

Brock shrugged. "I have no idea. But anyway, that Ursaring made us run more faster than you can imagine...I thought I was going to lose my legs for sure with all that running." He said.

"So, what did you do?" I asked, smiling.

"Me? I jumped straight into the bushes. Onix on the other hand had no choice but to jump into a lake. And he hates water."

"So, what happened then?" Eevee giggled.

"As I tried to recover from the jump, I noticed the Ursaring scratch his head and walk away...I swear, I thought I saw him trying to hold back from laughing."

We all started laughing like crazy, we didn't know the other people in the restaurant were staring at us in confusion.

"Yeah, so...there you go." Brock concluded. "That's my story."

I laughed and adjusted the scabbard on my back, making it more comfortable.

Ash noticed what I was doing, and glanced at the gear. "So...I guess you found what ever was reacting to your aura then, huh?" He assumed.

I nodded. "Yep. We found them in that basement." I explained. "I don't know who made this stuff, but whoever it was...he did a fine job."

"Not to mention the new friend Soren made down there." Lucina said.

"New friend?" Misty asked.

I grinned. "Let's go outside. I'll show you there." I told them.

Once we were outside, I quickly sent out Gastly so the gang could meet her.

"So, you got a Ghost type." Brock said, nodding. "That might actually get you somewhere with the gym leader."

"You know who's the gym leader there?" Ash asked.

Brock shook his head. "Not personally, but I've heard of her." He explained. "Sabrina is supposed to be a Psychic type gym leader, so ghost type Pokémon should deal a ton of damage."

I nodded. "Okay then." I said as I returned Gastly to her pokéball. "Now, I think I owe Lucina a sword duel." I said.

She grinned. "I was hoping you'd say that, Soren." She said and drew her sword.

"Now, just to let you know, I'm a little rusty, but don't go easy on me." I said and drew my crystal sword and shield.

Once the blade was out of its scabbard, it made this sound like it was drawn like a million times. Then it started glowing with the stones on my hand.

"Wow. What a sword." Ash said, completely dumbstruck.

I nodded. "Quite a sound too. It echoes when I draw it." I said.

"Enough talk. Let's see what you got, Soren." Lucina said, smiling.

I grinned and braced myself, spinning the sword in my hand.

"You strike first." I said.

She nodded and attacked. I quickly blocked it with my shield and swung back, just to meet her blade.

"Not bad." She said and pushed me away, attempting to strike until I blocked it with my sword.

I used all the strength I could muster to keep the sword from getting too close, then spun under her sword and kicked it out of her hand, catching it with no problem.

"Wow. Never knew I had that in me." I laughed and gave her back her sword.

"Well. That weapon actually suits you, Soren." She admitted as she sheathed Falchion.

I nodded as I clipped the shield to my back, then swung the sword like an X, spun it in my hand, then sheathed it.

"Not bad, Soren." Brock whistled.

I grinned. "Team Rocket'd better watch out, cuz I'm not just a trainer anymore." I said.

Lucina nodded, smiling. "You know, that's the reason why I love you so much." She muttered. "You're never willing up back down. Even if you're facing a giant dragon."

I laughed. "That's the way I am, Lucina." I said, resting my hand on her shoulder and gave her a small kiss on the cheek.

"Well, well, well. Look who survived." A familiar voice sneered.

Oh no. I thought. What's this guy doing here?

"Gary Oak." I scowled as I wheeled around. "Shouldn't you be going off, collecting all those gym badges in that nice red car of yours?"

He glared at me. "Speak for yourself, bud. All I see you doing is using a sword, and drowning yourself."

I angrily stepped towards him. "You listen, boy! I only did it to save my friends from a drowning ship!" I told him. "Besides, I didn't completely drown."

He scoffed. "True. You had some outcast save you." He sneered and scowled at Yellow, who was immediately offended and hid her face.

"Yeah, that's right, Yellow. You should feel bad-"

"Back off!" I yelled as me, Ash, and Lucina stepped in front of her.

He looked at us in surprise. "You're seriously defending her?" He questioned. "Do you have any idea what she did? She caused so much trouble when she was ten, there's no wonder she backed out from becoming a trainer."

"She backed out because of Team Rocket." Lucina snapped.

"Team Rocket? Come on. All they did was attack the Pokémon center at Viridian." He scoffed.

"There's a lot of stuff you've been ignoring then." Ash said. "We've run into them countless times. They almost killed us when the Anne sunk."

This actually interested him. "They were after you? Why the heck would they be after you?"

I shrugged. "How the heck would I know?"

He looked away and scowled. "Well, if they're after you, then you must be some serious pain in the neck." He muttered and pulled a pokéball off his belt. "Let's see how strong you are then."

I scowled and pulled off one of my own. "Fine, I'll battle you. But I want you to promise me something if I win."

He shrugged. "Shoot."

"If I win, you should promise to leave Yellow alone. I don't know what made you hate her, and I don't care. The past is the past, so you should forget about whatever it was that messed things up."

He stared at me, then scoffed. "That's your deal? You're more pathetic than I thought." He chuckled as he clipped the pokéball back on his belt. "You can forget the battle then." He said and walked off.

I couldn't believe it. He's backing Dow because of Yellow?

"Hey!" I yelled angrily and started walking towards the arrogant trainer when Brock grabbed my shoulder.

He shook his head. "Let him go. You did the right thing standing up for Yellow like that anyway. It's not worth making it worse."

I looked at him and the others and noticed the agreeing with Brock.

"Let him go, Soren." Lucina said.

I didn't want to, but I got the feeling that they were right. It's not worth storming after the jerk anyway.

I looked over to Yellow, noticing the pained expression on her face and patted her shoulder. "You okay?" I asked.

She gave a weak nod. "I'm...yeah, I'm all right." She said quietly. "Thanks for standing up for me, though."

I smiled. "Anytime."

She smiled back as Lily nuzzled her trainer, making the young girl laugh.

"We should probably get some sleep." Lucina suggested. "We're going to need it for our trip to Saffron."

I nodded. "Okay then. Let's get to bed." I told them and let out a big yawn. "Who knew that sword fighting gets you tired anyway?"

The others laughed, and we started walking back inside the Pokémon center to turn in.

Some day, I'll get Gary to eat his words. I thought.

**okay then. Soren got a chance to try out his new sword with Lucina's help, and it looks like the bond between Yellow and the group is getting stronger. **

**Hope u guys are ready for my new chapter, I won't go into details, but it should be better than this one. **


	27. Chapter 26

**hey, what's up guys? Might I say its pretty stormy where I am. **

**Anyway, here's a new chapter. This one was a little bit tricky with decision making, returning characters, yada yada yada. **

**Anyway, hope u enjoy. **

Chapter 26

(Soren)

The next morning, we grabbed our things and left the Pokémon center as soon as we could.

"Let's be sure to get whatever we need in Lavender town and go." I said. "I'm not a fan of unfriendly towns."

"You got that right." Yellow agreed.

After walking at least...ten miles or so, we came across a big billboard sign with lots of notes posted.

One of them was a flier to joining Team Rocket.

I angrily ripped it off. "I thought the cops were onto them." I said.

"They're tricky. I'll give you that." Ash muttered.

Eevee nodded in agreement. "Especially Archer."

True that. I thought bitterly. That guy's everywhere.

"Hey, check this out." Brock said, pointing to two posters.

One looked like a flyer to a Pokémon race, while the other...had a photo of me in my armor, back when Team Rocket attacked the Anne.

I looked over the note above the picture.

"This young man Soren, calling himself the "Master chief", willingly risked his life to save the innocent civilians aboard the now destroyed cruise ship, the st. Anne. Standing alongside him stood a few other people, along with a transforming Eevee, and a young woman wielding a sword, and three others using their Pokémon to stop Team Rocket, a mysterious group of criminals now causing trouble all over Kanto. The whereabouts of these people are unknown, but they are greatly appreciated by the survivors of the Anne." It read.

"Looks like we got a high reputation." Brock laughed.

"I'll say. Check me out." Eevee said, pointing to the picture of her as a Flareon. "I look pretty cool."

"But...now Team Rockets causing more trouble than I thought." Yellow grumbled.

I nodded. "But I guess the good thing is that we brought those survivors some hope." I assumed.

"I think you're the one that brought them hope, Soren." Lucina giggled, kissing my cheek.

"But hey, check this out." Ash said, pointing to the Pokémon race poster. "Why don't we sign up?"

"It says it's at Lavender town." Misty read. "How convenient."

"And the prize is a Pokémon egg." Brock added.

"So, they give you a Pokémon to raise as an egg?" Lucina asked.

Misty nodded. "Sometimes they do that in various competitions around here."

"Then let's go try it out." Yellow said. "I'm no fan of Lavender, but I am a fan of fun activities."

"I'm in agreement to that." Lucina laughed.

I grinned. "Okay then, let's get moving." I told them.

And with that, we started walking a bit faster than before, hoping to make it before the race started.

"Wow! despite being unfriendly, it's got pretty nice detail." Brock whistled as we walked into the old town.

"Let's just find the race, okay?" Misty giggled and accidentally ran into someone.

"Hey! Watch it!" He said angrily and walked off.

Misty glared at him, then shrugged it off.

"Don't take it to heart, Misty." Yellow told her. "Though I have to say, they're more unfriendlier than they were the last time I was here."

I nodded. "Probably because of the event held here." I assumed and pointed to the large crowd. "Looks like we found it."

"Let's go sign up." Lucina suggested.

As we tried to brush through the crowd, I couldn't help but notice some familiar booths.

"Looks like they're also holding another Johto festival." Ash said.

"That's surprising." I muttered. "I thought that after what happened to the Anne, they would take a break for a while or something."

Brock shook his head. "I'm pretty sure that they would lose money if they did that."

"I hope not." Eevee muttered.

"Eevee?" A voice asked behind us. We wheeled around, and there stood Emma.

"Emma? What are you doing here?" I asked, surprised.

She shrugged. "Just looking for a challenge. I'm glad you're okay though."

She must've heard about the Anne. I thought and shrugged. "Well, I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for Yellow here." I said, pointing to our new friend.

Emma looked to Yellow. "You saved him?" She asked.

Yellow nodded. "Yeah...not alone. A wild Squirtle helped too."

"And I'm still grateful to you two." I laughed, playfully ruffling her hair.

Emma giggled. "I love how you're so good with people, Soren."

I shrugged, laughing as Yellow tried to fix her hair, straightening her long ponytail.

"Let's just say that after what happened at Southtown, I'm a friendly guy." I said.

"A little laid back, but yeah." Lucina agreed.

Emma smiled. "So...yo guys here for the race?" She asked.

I nodded. "You bet. What about yourself?"

She nodded. "Yep. Just signed up. There's...probably a few more open spots waiting."

"What Pokémon are you using to race, Emma?" Brock asked.

"I'm borrowing one. If you don't have a Ponyta or a rideable Pokémon, they'll give you one of their own."

That works. I thought. "I'll use the Ponyta I got back at route five."

Emma nodded. "Okay. I'm sure they'll have a Doduo or something for the you guys." She told the others.

"Works for me." Ash said. "Let's go sign up."

The seven of us walked over to the registration booth, ready to sign up.

Sadly, there were only three spots left.

"So...who else is going to do it?" I asked.

Ash immediately volunteered. "You know I'm up for this kind of thing." He said.

Yellow shrugged. "I'll try it out. I've ridden a Doduo before."

Brock shrugged. "I guess we'll watch then." He muttered.

I grinned. "You sure you're okay?" I asked.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine." He assured me. "Right Misty?"

She nodded. "Yeah. We're all good."

I shrugged. "Okay then." I turned to the registrar. "Three of us are signing up." I said.

The man nodded. "Alright then. Sign these in, and hand them back." He said , handing me three slips of paper.

"Okay then." I said and walked over to a nearby bench with Ash, Yellow, and Lucina.

"Okay, so it's asking for a name, hometown, and the Pokémon you're using for the race." I said, looking over the paper.

"For hometown, just put Pallet town." Lucina suggested. "Just to make sure we don't raise any suspicions."

I nodded. "Okay, then I'll put Ponyta for the Pokémon." I said and jotted it down.

"So that means Ash and Yellow will be borrowing Pokémon?" Lucina wondered.

"I guess so." I said and returned the paper to the man at the table as Ash and Yellow turned theirs over.

"Okay then. If you're borrowing a Pokémon, head over the the tent down the alley. The race starts tomorrow, so be sure to get used to them."

Ash and Yellow nodded.

"We'll see you guys at the Pokémon center." Ash said, and the two of them walked over to the tent the man told them to go to while the rest of us decided to check out the Pokémon tower.

(Ash)

"So you two are borrowing Pokémon as well?" The woman behind the counter asked as we walked up.

I nodded. "Yep."

"Okay then. Here are the pokéballs for you and your friend." She said, handing over two pokéballs.

"Thanks, ma'am." I said and handed one to Yellow and clipped the other to my belt.

"Have a great time." She said as we turned to leave.

"Thanks." I replied and tried to get past the crowd with Yellow.

"I think that the others went to the Pokémon tower." Yellow said as we walked through the town.

"Why do you say that?" I asked.

"Well, it is the crown jewel of the town." She told me.

Good point. I thought. "I wonder if any Pokémon live there."

Yellow shuddered. "Yeah...about that..."

"Ghost types?" I asked.

She nodded nervously.

"Hey, it's nothing to feel bad about." I said. "Misty's afraid of Bug type Pokémon."

She shrugged. "Yeah, but after having a ghost just jumping out at you...ugh. That's what got me."

I laughed. "Yeah, they do that to ya."

She giggled. "Yeah."

For a while, we walked towards the tower in silence, but then Yellow broke it.

"So, what's the story behind Soren and Emma?" She asked. "I thought he liked Lucina."

"He does, it's just...Emma's more like a sister to him." I explained. "Soren and Lucina weren't born here. They were born in a different world. Emma too." I explained.

"Woah wait, they're aliens?" She asked.

I laughed and shook my head. "No, no. They're human. It's just...the world they're from was going through lots of problems. War, Greed, hatred, that kind of thing." I told her. "Well, after Soren and Lucina (along with a few other friends of theirs) saved their world, they ended up here. No one really knows why."

"Are they trying to find a way home or something?" She asked.

This may be going too far. I thought. "Here I'm not so sure Soren wants me to talk about this. After what happened on the Anne, I think he wants to keep as much information hidden as possible." I said.

She hung her head. "Sorry. I shouldn't have asked."

"No, it's okay, you'll just need to talk to him about it, that's all." I assured her.

She nodded. "Okay."

Once we got to the tower, Yellow was a bit reluctant to go in, but I assured her that with the Pokémon we have, we won't be dragged off to some ghost world.

Luckily, we didn't have to go far. Soren and the others were already at the back of the room, ready to head upstairs.

"Hey Ash." Soren said when he saw us. "You set for tomorrow?"

I nodded. "Yep."

"So, what's going on?" Yellow asked.

"Oh, Soren thought it'd be nice to check out the Pokémon tower for a bit." Emma muttered. "Which, I thought you hated ghosts, Soren."

He laughed. "Hey, I was a little kid, Emma. I'm all over that fear."

She laughed. "Sure you are."

Soren blushed, making the rest of us laugh.

"Come on. Let's go." Lucina giggled.

With that, we walked up the stairs, bracing ourselves for any Ghost Pokémon.

To be honest, the upstairs was almost as creepy as the lower levels.

"Probably because no one would really come up here as much." Soren assumed.

"Yeah, usually the upper levels are for the Pokémon." Yellow stuttered.

Go figure. I thought.

Suddenly, I felt something tap my shoulder, making me yelp.

Brock started laughing. "Gotcha." He said.

Misty shook her head and smacked him in the arm. "Don't do that, Brock." She complained.

He just laughed. "What? I was just kidding."

I shook my head when I suddenly felt something tap my shoulder again.

"Brock!" I yelled.

He shrugged. "That wasn't me that time.

Suddenly, Lucina freaked out. "Okay, who tapped my shoulder?" She demanded.

"Here, I've got thing that'll light this room up." Emma said, pulling off a pokéball from her belt. "Mareep, use Flash!" She commanded as she threw it.

The ball snapped open, and her trusty Mareep stood in front of us with the ball on her tail glowing vividly.

"Wow that's bright." Soren said, blocking his eyes.

Emma giggled. "Yeah, it's bright all right. Took me a couple days to get used to it."

Soren was about to ask her something when Eevee suddenly freaked out, pointing to something behind me.

I wheeled around and almost panicked. There was a ghost Pokémon floating right behind me with...floating claws?

"What is that Pokémon?" I asked and activated my pokédex.

"Haunter. The Gas Pokémon, and the evolved form of Gastly. It licks with its gaseous tongue to steal the victim's life force. It lurks in darkness for prey. Haunter is a Ghost and Poison type Pokémon. Gender: male. Current moves: Lick, Shadow sneak, Night shade, and Sucker punch."

"Wow! This ones tough." Eevee muttered.

I decided that it would be a good idea to catch him. I pulled Charmander's pokéball off my belt, pressing the button to expand it.

"Charmander, I choose you!" I yelled as I threw it.

The ball snapped open, and there stood Charmander.

"Ash, what are you doing?" Soren asked.

I grinned. "I'm going to try to catch him." I told him.

"That's actually a good idea." Emma said. "Besides, he might do well against your next gym challenge."

"You challenged Sabrina?" Brock asked.

She nodded. "I'll admit, she's a tough one."

"Then I guess if I got Haunter, I'll have the upper hand." I said and pointed to the ghost type. "Charmander use Flamethrower, let's go!"

Charmander took a deep breath and blew his powerful fire attack at Haunter.

Suddenly, Haunter sank into the ground and attacked Charmander like a shadow.

"Careful with that Shadow sneak." Brock warned. "That'll make it harder for you to get a good hit on him."

"Thanks for the tip." I said. "Charmander, use Flamethrower again!"

Charmander let loose another fire attack, this time landing a hit on him.

"Nice one!" I said.

Haunter shook off the pain and flew towards Chamarnder, licking his side.

At first, Charmander was disgusted, but then he started shuddering like crazy as electricity started running through him (strangely).

"Charmander's paralyzed!" Emma warned.

Looks like I'll have to be more careful. I thought.

"Okay Charmander, use Ember!" I commanded.

Charmander did his best to focus on the battle as he blew embers at Haunter, just barely hurting him.

Uh-oh. I thought. I think the paralysis is already working it's effect.

Haunter smacked his hands together, causing his body to darken. Then he released a dark beam at Charmander.

"Aw man, that's Night shade!" I said. "Dodge it, Charmander!"

Charmander jumped to the side, just barely missing the attack.

"Great! Now use Flamethrower!" I commanded.

Charmander let loose another powerful Flamethrower at Haunter, completely scorching that ghost.

"Okay then, Pokéball, let's go!" I yelled as I threw it at the slowly falling Haunter.

The ball hit him, absorbed him, and plopped on the ground.

It wobbled a few times, then snapped back open.

Dang it! I almost had him. I thought.

"Just do a little more on him." Soren said. "You've almost got him."

I nodded. "Right. Now Charmander, use Ember!"

Charmander took a deep breath and fired another weak ember attack at Haunter, dealing a little bit more damage.

I flipped my hat around.

This is it. I thought as I pulled a pokéball from my belt and threw it.

It hit Haunter, absorbed him, then plopped to the ground next to the broken one.

It wobbled a few times, giving most of us anxiety until it clicked.

Haunter was caught.

"Alright!" I yelled happily and picked it up, only to see the button glowing red.

"Looks like you've got to send a Pokémon in." Soren said.

I nodded. "And I know who I'm sending in." I told him.

Later that day, I called Robin to ask if she could take care of Butterfree for me.

"I'd be happy to, Ash." She said. "Plus, Soren's Metapod's getting a bit lonely down here."

I laughed. "Okay. Her comes Butterfree." I said as I placed him on the platform and pressed the button.

The ball was immediately pulled in, and Robin was found holding it.

"He's here. Safe and sound, Ash." She said, holding it in front of the camera.

"Thanks, Robin."

"Anytime, kiddo. Be sure to take care of Soren and Lucina for me." She said.

I nodded. "Yeah, I'll be sure to."

And with that, the screen went dead, and I ran to the back of the Pokémon center, where Ash and Emma were having a small battle.

"Okay Ivysaur, now use Razor leaf!" Soren commanded as I walked outside.

His partner spun the leaves on his back, hurling sharp leaves at Emma's...Nidorino?

Where'd she get him? I wondered.

"Okay, use Poison sting!" Emma commanded her partner.

Nidorino fired poisonous pins at Ivysaur, dealing half damage since he's half poison type himself.

"Now hit him with Horn attack!" She said.

Nidorino rubbed his foot against the ground, then charged at Ivysaur with his horn ready to strike.

"Stop it with Tackle!" Soren commanded.

Both Pokémon charged towards each other, colliding hard and sliding away from each other.

Both of them were tired, so it was wondering which one will fall.

To my surprise, they both collapsed.

"Both Pokémon are unable to continue." Brock announced. "This battle is won by a tie."

"I'll say." Soren laughed as he returned Ivysaur. "Man. Where'd you get him again?" He asked Emma.

She shrugged. "Oh, just...on the road." She giggled. "I actually met him on the way to Saffron city."

"Well, you found yourself a pretty good ally." Soren said, grinning.

Emma nodded. "Thanks, Soren."

"Oh yeah, what Pokémon are you using for the race?" Yellow asked.

Emma grinned and pulled a similar pokéball that holds Soren's Ponyta and threw it in the air.

The ball snapped open, and in front of us stood a Rhyhorn.

"Woah!" Soren whistled, completely dumbstruck. "Now that's huge."

"They're supposed to be pretty fast, despite their size." Emma said.

"You've seen this Pokémon race before?" Misty asked.

Emma nodded. "Well, not this big guy in particular, but there was a Rhyhorn race nearby Ecruteak city back in Johto. There was this trainer named Grace, and her Rhyhorn ran past the others in no time."

Grace? Haven't I heard that name before? I wondered.

"Okay, then. Let's see who I got." Yellow said and threw her pokéball in the air. It snapped open and in front of us stood a big two legged bord with three heads.

Soren just stared at it blankly. "You...you got a hydra-like ostrich?" He asked nervously.

Yellow laughed. "No, no. This is a Dodrio. Though I'll admit, they are pretty funny looking."

Dodrio looked at both Soren and Yellow (at the same time with their three heads) and blushed.

"Alright then, let's see what I got!" I said and threw mine in the air. It snapped open and a Rapidash stood in front of us.

"Woah! Now that's a horse!" Soren whistled. "I'm sure Frederick would've wanted this kind of Pokémon the minute he lays eyes on it."

"That is, if he were here, Soren." Lucina giggled.

"Well. Now we know the Pokémon we're using." Yellow said.

I nodded. "Yep."

Well, we've got the rest of the day." Soren said. "So well use that time to get used to the Pokémon."

"Sounds good to me." Emma said. "Besides, I think Ponyta needs to stretch her legs."

Soren laughed. "Yeah, I haven't used her as much as I should've." He said.

For the rest of the day, the four of us rode our Pokémon around the town, just to get ready for tomorrow.

Let's see who wins. I thought. Cuz it looks like we're rivals now.

**alright then. Emma's back, Soren is recognized as a superhero called "the master chief" (no, not the master chief from halo, but a different one.) and a Ash got Haunter. **

**Oh yeah, I will not have Ash release Butterfree. That was the one thing that angered me so much in the show. Sure, it's the way of Pokémon life and whatever, but that was the first Pokémon he ever caught. I wouldn't release mine if that was the case. **

**Anyway, hope u enjoyed it. **


	28. Chapter 27

**hey, what's up guys? Here's another new chapter for you. This one was really tough to be honest, so I really hope u bear with me on this one. **

Chapter 27

(Soren)

The next morning, we got ourselves ready for the race, and left with a friendly "good luck" from Nurse Joy. (Who is pretty much the only friendly person in this entire town.)

We walked over to the Pokémon racetrack, where all the other trainers were getting themselves ready.

Once the four of us signed ourselves in and sent out our racing Pokémon, saddled them up, and hopped on, ready to race.

"Welcome to the Pokémon races!" The announcer said. "The names Howard. I'll be your host for this race."

Once he said that, everyone in the stands started cheering like crazy.

Someone's excited to see this race. I thought.

"Okay. I'm glad to see some of us excited for this." Howard laughed. "Here are the rules: these sixteen trainers and their Pokémon will race through route six, where there are lots of obstacles you'll come across as you race. You'll start turning around once you reach a flagged checkpoint halfway between here and Saffron city, then come straight back here." He explained.

I nodded. Sounds easy enough. I thought.

"The person that gets here first will receive this mysterious egg from the Johto region." Howard announced as the screen behind him showed a white egg with red and blue triangles.

So that's our prize. I thought and looked around the track, noticing Ash, Emma, and Yellow bracing themselves.

"Here we go, Ponyta." I told her. "You ready?"

She smacked her hoof against the ground and let out a determined whinny.

The lights in front of us activated with a red color, making us brace ourselves for the flag.

I watched as the referee on the stand slowly raised the green flag, then swing it around.

That's our que. I thought and snaked the reigns. We were off in a flash.

I started off okay. I was behind a few other trainers, but I was close to first.

Suddenly, Ash and Yellow blew past me on their Pokémon, almost knocking me off as Emma started passing me.

"Ain't no way I'm losing to you guys!" I laughed and kicked the sides.

"We'll see about that!" Ash yelled back as he passed a random trainer.

I grinned as I looked ahead of us, where there was a pretty rough turn coming up.

"Get ready to turn, Ponyta!" I said.

As and Emma made a good turn, while Yellow's Dodrio started bickering with his other two heads on where to go.

"Come on!" She yelled and roughly steered him to the right direction as me and another trainer pass her.

Aw man. I thought. I don't want to leave her behind.

"Come on, Yellow!" I said. "You've got this!"

She was able to get her Dodrio to get it together and get just behind me and the trainer.

"Alright! You're doing great!" I said.

The trainers behind her weren't as lucky. Most of them toppled over with that sharp turn, decreasing the number of racers.

The only thing that really got my attention was Officer Jenny escorting them back to the town.

So this is an elimination race. I thought. They should've said something on the flyer. Or when they started this thing.

"Watch out!" Yellow yelled.

I glanced to the front just in time to see a long, dead tree branch come towards me.

The only thing I remember doing was leaning back as far as I could as the branch flew right above my face.

"Woah! How low can you go, Soren?!" Yellow cheered as I sat upright and gave her a thumbs up.

Like the turn, some trainers behind us didn't make it through and ended io getting knocked off their Pokémon. For a sec, I thought I saw one of them take the saddle off with him.

Four trainers out. Twelve to go. I thought.

Suddenly, a trainer right in front of me fell off his Doduo.

Make that eleven. I thought and shrugged.

"Soren! Behind you!" Yellow shouted.

I quickly glanced around just in time to see an electric baton come towards me.

Just as it was about to hit me, I immediately extended my gauntlets blade to block it.

What the heck? Why does this guy have a electric baton?

Then I noticed the capital R on his shirt.

"Team Rocket!" I grumbled. "I figured you'd show up to something like this."

The grunt scowled. "Well, I'd say the same for you, kid." He sneered. "What's wrong? No Eevee to save ya?"

I gritted my teeth and knocked the baton out of his hand. "Why don't you go mess with someone else for once?" I demanded and kicked him in the side, knocking him off his Pokémon.

Dealt with him. I thought as Yellow rode up beside me, wincing as she held her side.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

She nodded. "I'm fine. Got whacked by a tree."

Something told me she was lying, but then I noticed that we were pretty far behind the others.

"Come on. Let's go catch up." I said, and we both tried to catch up to Ash and Emma.

(Ash)

I didn't really know what happened to Soren and Yellow, but I was right beside Emma and I wasn't going to lose.

There were a couple of trainers in front of us, but their Pokémon looked pretty worn out already.

I took a quick glance and saw Soren catching up, but Yellow was going a little slower than before.

She or Dodrio must've gotten hurt. I thought as I turned back to the front, where I noticed the flags.

"That's the turn, Rapidash!" I said.

Rapidash started to slow down just enough to pass Emma and perfect the turn, only to get passed by Soren.

"Oh no you don't!" I laughed and sped up to try and catch up to him as Yellow and Emma passed me.

What? I thought and glanced at Rapidash, who was panting like crazy.

"Looks like that turn wiped you out, huh?" I asked.

She gave a slight nod.

Well, I don't want to push her any harder. I thought.

Before I could assure her, she started freaking out.

"What the...? What's going on with you?" I demanded as a trainer on a Tauros rode past me with an electric baton.

Wait. Electric baton? Those are the weapons that-

Oh no. Team Rocket! I thought angrily as I tried to get Rapidash to calm down.

"ASH!" Soren yelled and tried to get Ponyta to run back towards me, but Emma stopped him.

"You go ahead! I'll take care of him." She told him and reigned her Rhyhorn to come towards me as the grunt raised his baton.

"Oh no you don't!" Emma yelled as her Rhyhorn rammed into Tauros, knocking him off.

"Go!" She yelled. "I'll take care of this guy!"

I nodded and managed to calm Rapidash down so we could keep going.

I was halfway there when I suddenly heard the buzzer go off just ahead.

Someone's already won. I thought.

(Soren)

I was just passing the finish line when the buzzer sounded.

"And the winner of the race is...Soren from Pallet town!" Howard announced.

Everyone in the stands started cheering as I got off Ponyta.

"Nice job, girl." I said as I rubbed her head.

She gave a happy whinny and nuzzled my face.

I laughed as I saw Emma ride up with an unconscious grunt tied up to the saddle.

I suddenly felt guilty. I mean...Emma basically risked her life to save Ash from that guy, while I'm taking the credit for winning.

Howard walked up to me with the egg in hand.

"Soren, as head of the race, I'm awarding you this egg for winning first-"

I waved it away. Just...stop. I...I can't take it."

Everyone in the crowd gasped.

"But...you won." Howard said.

"I know but...I don't deserve the victory." I said and pointed to Emma. "She does."

She was surprised as everyone looked at her in confusion.

"Why...her?" Howard asked.

"Cuz she saved my life." Ash said as he jumped off Rapidash. "She had Soren finish the race while she defended me from this Team Rocket grunt."

"If anyone deserves it, it's Emma." I said.

Howard looked at me, then Emma and shrugged. "Well...I guess you have a point." He said and walked over to her.

"Emma, as head of the race, I give you this egg. Take good care of it." He said as he handed her the case holding the egg.

Emma took it gently and bowed to Howard.

Once the man left, she quickly put the case in her pack and walked up to me.

"You didn't have to do that, Soren." She said.

I shrugged. "Come on. After watching you save Ash back there, I figured you deserved it."

She smiled and gave me a quick hug. "You're the best."

I grinned. "It's for old times sake, Emma. Just old times sake."

Suddenly, I felt something poke my shoulder. I wheeled around and saw Dodrio standing right in front of me, looking pretty worried.

"What's up?" I asked.

One if the heads pointed to Yellow, who looked like she was about to get sick.

"You okay, Yellow?" I asked.

She didn't answer. But she started leaning to the side.

I immediately figured that the wound was worse than I thought and caught her as she fell off the saddle.

"Yellow! Come on, snap out of it." I said frantically as I checked the wound on her side.

It wasn't a tree wound. I've seen those before, so I could tell what they looked like. This wound looked like it came from something else.

"We should get help." Lucina suggested as she ran up with Eevee, Lily, and Pikachu.

I nodded and carried Yellow as we ran to the Pokémon center.

After explaining things to Nurse Joy, Yellow was immediately rushed into one of the rooms.

"I'm sure she'll be okay." Joy assured me as she took off to help.

"I hope so." I muttered as I sat between Ash and Lucina.

"She'll be fine, Soren." Lucina said. "It didn't look too deep."

I shook my head. "It's not that. It's just...I can't help feeling like it's my fault."

"Why would it be your fault?" Emma asked.

"Cuz I hate it when some else gets hurt just to get to me!" I snapped. "That's how I felt when Byron was killed...and after the Anne sunk."

Lucina gently grabbed my hand. "It's never your fault, Soren. I'm sure you'd do your best to make sure nothing like this happened."

I smiled. "Thanks, Lucy. You always know how to bring my spirits back up." I said and turned to the others. "You all do."

Lucina smiled back. "And...for the record, that was a great thing you did back there at the race."

I shrugged. "I felt that it was the right thing to do. That's all."

Emma smiled. "Well, thank you, Soren."

I nodded in her direction, telling her "you're welcome" in the friendliest way I could.

Nurse Joy walked up to us with a relieved look on her face.

"I have good news." She said. "Yellow's in great shape. Her wound's not bad, actually. Didn't really get too deep."

I let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Nurse Joy."

She nodded. "No problem. Happy to help. She'll be ready to travel in the morning.

"That's fine." Lucina told her. "We were going to head out tomorrow anyway."

I nodded in agreement.

While I looked at Lucina, I figured that maybe it was time to get her a Pokémon of her own.

If she'll accept it. I thought. And...if we can find a Pokémon that suits her.

**alright then. Soren won, but decided to let Emma get the credit, Yellow's okay, but Team Rocket's really getting serious. Hope it gets better later on. **

**Anyway, hope u liked it. **


End file.
